


A Pirate's Life for Me! (One Piece x Reader)

by CharlotteVManor (PrettyBookWorm)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Choices, Established Relationship, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fantasy, Fluff and Humor, Multi, One-Sided Attraction, Passion, Platonic Relationships, Secret Relationship, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Teacher-Student Relationship, Temptation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2020-08-13 23:11:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 38,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20182282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyBookWorm/pseuds/CharlotteVManor
Summary: Join the Straw Hat Pirates on the adventure of a lifetime!Before the infamous Pirate Gold D. Rodgers is put to death, he tells the world about his precious treasure One Piece. Not only is One Piece his most valuable treasure, but it's also hidden away and only Gold D' Rogers himself knows where! Before he takes his last breath the infamous pirate challenges the sea-world to find his treasure and become the King of the Pirates!The adventure begins with you (Y/N). You never believed in One Piece. As far as you were concerned Gold D. Rodgers was just a criminal who got what he deserved. However, your view changes when you meet impulsive, hyperactive, and meat addict Monkey D. Luffy. This 15-year-old boy claims he's a pirate and will be the one to find One Piece, and he has the legendary gum gum devil fruit power to help him do it. Your skeptical but Luffy's determination inspires you to chase after your own dreams. For the first time in your life your on your own traveling the wide Blue Sea. It's a pirates life for you after all!Join your favorite characters in this retelling of One Piece with plenty of original side plots and characters from my own imagination.





	1. Kidnapped!

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. However, I will be adding a lot of my own original story ideas and original characters to the plot, so please do not copy or reupload my story anywhere. Thank you for your support! :)
> 
> Key:
> 
> (y/n) = your name *literally insert your own name*
> 
> (h/c) = hair color
> 
> (e/c) = eye color
> 
> (y/a) = your animal *pick your fave cuddly fur-ball later in the story* :)
> 
> A/N: This is not necessarily a reverse harem but you are given a few romantic options. Some characters outside the straw hat pirates will also show interest in you. However, you will not technically commit to anyone until the end.
> 
> It's important to know this story focuses heavily on adventure, action, and friendship more than anything else!
> 
> **This is a Book Series that will be split into parts. Although this book will end at 200 chapters it will be continued in another book.***
> 
> That's all. I hope you enjoy my retelling of the amazing story One Piece where I take you on a journey with some of your favorite characters! :)

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. However, I will be adding a lot of my own original story ideas and original characters to the plot, so please do not copy or reupload my story anywhere. Thank you for your support! :)**

**Key:**

(y/n) = your name ***literally insert your own name***

(h/c) = hair color

(e/c) = eye color

(y/a) = your animal *pick your fave cuddly fur-ball later in the story* :)

**A/N: This is not necessarily a reverse harem, but you are given a few romantic options. Some characters outside the Straw-Hat pirates will also show interest in you. However, you will not technically commit to anyone until the end.**

It's important to know this story focuses heavily on adventure, action, and friendship more than anything else!

That's all. I hope you enjoy my retelling of the amazing story One Piece where I take you on a journey with some of your favorite characters! :)  
  


**Please vote and comment if you like the chapter and want more updates! :)**  
  


Your day starts out like any other. You wake up, tend to the garden behind the Inn your dad owns and take a quick bath in your father's room. He has an iron tub in his small, cramped and often messy room. It is rusty and uncomfortable to use, but your family does not have much of a choice. 

Your dad runs a shabby Inn on the edge of a small village, and he can barely make ends meet. You are all poor and the man of the house is doing the best that he can to keep you all fed and alive. 

He is failing big time, but you respect him. He is much kinder than all the other fathers in town, even though he makes way less money.   
  
You often see the shame in your father’s eyes as he manages the rundown Inn, struggling to get customers to stop by every day. You guys are lucky if you get 2 customers in a day, but to you, it doesn’t matter. 

You spend the days by your father's side making him laugh and helping him keep the sparse customers satisfied. You think today will be just like any other day, but you are wrong.

You have just gotten out of the tub when your mother rushes into the room. Her eyes are wide. 

"Pirates are here," she says rushing around the room, and grabbing for anything valuable. She is pushing a poorly made cart that is usually used around the Inn to carry refreshments.

"Get dressed! Now!" she says. 

You're confused by your mother’s words when suddenly you hear _it_. Faint screams echo in the distance coming from the front of the village. You hear your dad rushing around the Inn cursing. 

_This is real!_

You dry off quickly and pull your long hair into a half up half down hairdo. You rush outside to hear better. You can hear gunshots coming from the village. You also hear screams the moment you get outside and see smoke rising in the distance. Pirates _are _raiding the village!

It is only a matter of time before they figured out some of you live on the edge of the village.

_This can't be happening!_

It's like your life is flashing before your eyes. The village you spent the past fifteen years of your life in is falling. You heard stories before about pirates raiding places, but you thought they'll stay just that. Stories that you heard about other unfortunate souls. You never thought you and your family would be one of those unfortunate souls you heard about today.

You stare in the direction of the village. You can see people running in the distance towards your home. Your neighbors are already rushing out of their homes and into the wilderness behind their huts. 

If there are survivors left at the front of the village everyone is heading towards your home right now, and towards the wilderness behind it. The only other escape is the sea and the pirate ships are all docking there! You stare around at the palm trees and dirt roads. 

_It is really over, just like that. Your life._

Your mom pulls your arm suddenly, dragging you towards the wilderness. "We need to go now (y/n)!"

You hear your father talking to some of the neighbors who haven't run off yet. It sounds like they are talking to some people who need of help. You hear a few familiar voices and know some of the people from the village escaped the massacre. 

You listen to the sound of a woman crying along with her baby. You hear your father tell all the women and children to hide in the forest behind the huts. 

You struggle against your mother's pull. "We have to wait for father!" you say.

Your mother ignores you as you struggle and suddenly you hear them! To everyone's horror, someone screams. "They are coming! The pirates are coming! Run for your lives!!"

Everything turns to chaos around you. Men, women, and children begin to scream. People are coming from all directions trying to get to the safety of the trees behind your home. There are more gunshots and the sounds of slashing swords on skin. 

Your heart is beating fast when you are suddenly thrown to the ground. You and your mom scream as a small crowd tramples over both of you. It takes a few seconds for you to crawl out of the way of the running villagers. Your body hurts all over and you see bruises forming on your arms and legs.

When you stand up you feel disoriented and take a moment to readjust to your surroundings. You look around the area and see two people disappear into the trees. 

"Wait," you say noticing you're alone now. "Mom, dad I'm still here. Don't leave!" You reach out your arm towards the trees, but your knees give way.

_No! I have to get up! _

Your eyes water. It all happened so fast. You can’t believe you and your mother were just trampled. You feel grateful to have made it out alive and realize that your mother had to as well, because you are all alone now. Your mother must have assumed you got up and ran to safety without her, and she did the same. You suddenly feel very afraid of the silence around you.

"Well looky here," a voice rings out from behind you. Your heart stops as you slowly turn to face the sound.

_Pirates._ There are at least a dozen pirates brandishing swords and pistols standing behind you. The spark in their eyes upon seeing you make your stomach knot up. 

"Aww she's all alone," says one pirate.

The pirate who found you makes his way over to your crawling body. You try moving towards the forest, but he reaches you before you can get anywhere near it and grabs you by your hair.

"Don't make this any more difficult,” he says. “Your so cute, we'd hate to break you."

He pulls you up by your hair and sniffs you. You try to act brave, but you can’t hide the disgust that coats your face. He holds onto your hair roughly, wrapping your long hair around his fist. 

You cringe at the pain. "Let go!"

The pirates watching you all laugh. "Well, what shall we do with her," the pirate holding your hair asks looking towards his mates. He cups one of your breasts and you almost vomit. You feel like you will burst into flames at any moment.

"Stop it!" you yell. "Don't touch me you disgusting freak!" You begin to tussle with the pirate, but he laughs, not at all disturbed by your movements or words. 

"She's scared," one of the pirate's say while laughing. 

"How old is she anyway!" another pirate asks. "She looks young.... ripe but young."

You grind your teeth at his words before spitting out. "I'm fifteen! Now please just let me go!"

You watch in horror as a smile creeps across all their faces. 

Before you can even scream a woman’s, voice brings you all back down to earth. 

"What the hell do you think your all doing here!" a woman shouts. 

The group of pirates separate, leaving an open space between them. In the middle of them all, a fat woman with black curly hair walks through the opening. Blood coats her shoes and she's wearing blue jeans and a red plaid shirt. She looks over at you and her subordinate. He freezes and for the first time since you've met him, he actually looks scared. 

You notice a young boy with purple hair and glasses follow closely behind the fat woman as she makes her way over to you. Without speaking you notice the spiked iron mace in her hand, the woman sends it flying towards the man's head. You scream as blood splatters all over you and her subordinate drops dead.

"Shut up!" she screams. "None of you go around touching MY property. Anything we find here is mine until I say otherwise!"

Fear coats her crews face. "Yes, captain!" they all say in unison.

The purple-haired boy beside her trembles and ducks his head. You do the same.   
  
The women tower's over you with her blood-stained iron mace. "I'm Alvida and this squirt here," she says nodding her head towards the purple-haired boy. "Is my servant boy Koby! You'd want to learn from this pipsqueak on how to act! I'm your master now little girl until I decide what I want to do with you! You'd do well to accept your fate, pretty girl." 

Her face contorts into a hideous smile. She kicks Koby in the back and he falls onto the ground. 

He lets out a shriek before bowing down to kiss Alvida's blood-stained boots. The pirates watching gulp and laugh nervously.

"Koby. Whose the most beautiful women of all the seas?" asks Alvida. 

He whimpers. "That would be you, Alvida!" 

She kicks Koby in the stomach and he cries out in pain.

You feel your heart sinking. _How can such a horrible person exist?_

Alvida's cruel black eyes meet yours and you faint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you so much! If you've read this far you are the real champion here! Wooww I'm legit shocked. Its been forever since I've thought about Iron Mace Alvida, but I'll give her some respect because she is one of Luffy's first opponents lol. Anyway, I just want to introduce myself because this is going to be one long adventure. We might as well get acquainted now. My writing pen name as of today is Charlotte V. Manor. I'm an Aquarius who loves to write. I love fashion, anime, and expensive stuff lol!
> 
> Anyway, I decided to write this story because after all these years I am still a fan of One Piece. So I decided to recreate the story for other fans like me with a few new twists and turns.I'm always happy to get likes and even more happy to get comments. I'll see you all in the next chapter, and the one after that. Heck, we have 199 more chapters to go together so I'm serious when I say it.
> 
> "Grab your snacks as I try to figure out when I'd be most likely to post updates." xoxo


	2. The High Seas: Your First Voyage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You are captured by Iron Mace Alvida and her crew. Can you get out of this situation with Koby's help, and what's with the barrel he's got?! Read and find out! :P

After you regain consciousness, your memory starts to return as you groan. You hope you've just woken up from a nightmare. You open your eyes slowly and curse your bad fortune. You're in a room with three other men and the young boy named Koby. They are all facing away from you and tormenting Koby with insults. Koby whimpers a pathetic response in return as the men walk past him laughing, out of the room. 

Koby's head falls in shame. 

"H-hey," you say. "Are you alright?"

Koby looks up at you, startled by your voice and your sincere concern. "You can't be awake now!" he whispers, his eyes widening in horror. He rushes over to you and places his finger on your lips. 

You realize your situation; your hands are tied behind you with rope and you're lying on a dirty floor. 

You hear the men from earlier laughing outside when suddenly one of them shouts out in surprise. "You see that?' you hear one of them ask. "It’s a barrel. Hey, Koby get your arse out here!"

Koby jumps up and rushes out of the room frowning before you can tell him to wait.

_No! Don't go!_ You look around the room and see a few boxes in the corner and a few wanted posters plastered over the wall. 

_They really kidnapped me_, you think. _This can't be happening. Mom, dad will I ever see you again?!_  
  
"Go get it you flea," you hear one of the men yell from outside.

You know he's talking to Koby. There is silence before you hear footsteps walking down a dirt path. You listen as hard as you can, but you no longer hear Koby. You can only hear the men talking amongst themselves, and cracking jokes about Koby. You also hear the faint sound of splashing water and Koby gasping for breath.

After a few minutes, you hear something rolling against the ground outside.   
  
"Let's get it in the room quickly," one of the men says to Koby.

You gasp and lower your eyelids just enough to look like you are still passed out.

The door bursts open and the three men and Koby enter the room with a big wooden barrel.

The tallest man takes the barrel from Koby and cheers loudly. "All this sake washed up onshore. Jackpot!"

The other two men laugh. "Let's drink some of it before we show Alvida. She'd just hog it all like the fat pig she is.” They howl with laughter as Koby backs up against a wall trying to make himself seem as invisible as possible.

"Forget that!" says the man with a brown goatee. "Let's just drink it all right now. Alvida doesn't have to know, and the girl in the corner is still passed out. That just leaves Koby."

They all turn to glare at Koby. "And we can just beat the snot out of Koby if he even thinks of telling Alvida."  
  
Koby huddles up against the wall, covering his face. "Please don't beat me up," he says.

Just then the barrel begins to shake, and your eyes pop wide open as a boy wearing a straw hat burst through the top of the barrel. 

"What a nice nap that was!" he says. "Boy, I can't believe it, I'm saved! I thought for sure I was going to die!" The boy is wearing a red vest, with blue shorts that stop at his knees.

The three mens jaws drop as they yell. "What the hell!?"

Koby and you look at each other in disbelief.  
  
Just then Alvida's voice pierces the air. "Stop slacking off!" Something hard hits the other side of the room. Suddenly a loud crack makes the walls of the room explode. Wood falls everywhere as you scream and everyone in the room runs for their life. You see Luffy jumping back into the barrel as Alvida's big iron mace flies past one of the men's head.

"Whose the most beautiful woman of all the seas?!" yells Alvida.

"You are!" shouts her crew.

"Who the hell is slacking off?" asks Alvida. "I heard one of you saying you had a good stinking nap!"

You watch Koby rush towards you; he pushes planks of fallen wood off of your body and cuts the ropes around your hands with a pocketknife. Within seconds he helps you up and you both run towards an open path in some nearby woods. You hear Alvidi's voice fade away as you continue to run with Koby, and she continues to yell at the three men from earlier.  
  
Koby points a few feet ahead of you after running for a while. You look towards the sound of a rolling barrel, and you see the straw-hat boy inside it. He's laughing as he spins out of control down the pathway. You and Koby start to chase after him. 

The barrel ends up coming to a stop on its own after running over a few large rocks and twigs along the dirt road.

"Are you all right?" asks Koby, watching the straw hat boy crawl out of the barrel. "You got knocked pretty far by Alvida's Iron Mace attack." 

You take a moment to catch your breath as the two boys talk and thank the heavens you were able to escape from those crazy pirates. Now if only you knew where you were and how to find your family.

"I'm fine," says the straw-hat boy. "I'm Luffy. Where is this place?"

"This is the breeding ground of the Pirate Iron Mace Alvida," Koby says. "I'm a caretaker on her ship. My name is Koby." 

Koby looks at you. "And your name?"

Luffy also turns his gaze towards you, surprised at your presence. 

You smile wearily. "I'm (y/n)," you say. "Alvida kidnapped me and I don't know how to get home from here."

Koby nods. "Sorry I couldn't stop her from destroying your village earlier… and killing all those people… and you know… kidnapping you."

Luffy waves his hand in the air. "None of this is important."

You glare at Luffy. "Excuse you! I lost my family today and that's not important?!"

Luffy shakes his head. "That's not what I mean! Does either of you have a small boat I can borrow? Mine got caught in the whirlpool."

"A whirlpool?!" Koby and you say in unison. "You were caught in a whirlpool and survived?!"

"Yea," says Luffy. "It was scary."  
  
Koby sighs. "A normal person would have died already."

You nod in agreement.

Koby continues. "You want a small boat? Well, I have one, but..." Koby leads you all to a dense area within the trees where a rundown boat awaits.

You and Luffy stare at the boat in disbelief.

"What's this?" asks Luffy. "A coffin?"

"This is the boat I've been building in secret for the past two years," says Koby. "I spent two years building this. What? You don't want it anymore?"

You can't help but giggle as Koby blushes. Luffy smiles at you as you try to stop yourself from laughing.

"Yea...I don't have the guts to leave," Koby says. "Looks like I'm gonna be Alvida's caretaker for the rest of my life. Although I do have something else I wanna do --" 

"Then you should leave," says Luffy.

"No no, I can't! It'll never work!" says Koby. "Whenever I think of Alvida finding out, my legs turn all mushy! I get so scared!” He looks up at the sky. “That day long ago, I was only fishing, but I accidentally walked onto Alvida's ship. I became a caretaker to survive these past two years. It was the only way for me to stay alive!"

You stare at Koby, dumbfounded by his stupidity. "You stayed for two years because of a silly mistake like that?!"

"You're pretty stupid and useless," Luffy says.

You nod in agreement. 

"And you seem kind of wimpy too," says Luffy. "I don't like you."

You and Luffy laugh as Koby cringes. His eyes water as he tries to control his breathing.

"You guys are right," Koby says sullenly. "Hey Luffy, why are you sailing?"

Luffy's gives you both his biggest smile and says, "I want to become King of the Pirates!"

You gasp and Koby's eyes widen. "Eh, the what! 'Pirate King' was the title of someone who once had everything in this world!!" says Koby. "Are you telling me that you are looking for the world's greatest treasure. The One Piece?!!"

Luffy nods like it’s the most simple task in the world. You find yourself impressed by his confidence and courage.

"You wanna die or something!" yells Koby. "All the Pirates in the world are looking for that treasure!"

Luffy shrugs. "Well so am I."

Koby's breathing gets heavy as beads of sweat form on his forehead. "Impossibly Impossible! Utterly impossible! To become the pirate king in the Pirate Era. There's no chance! Utterly impossible!"

Luffy punches Koby on his forehead, sending him flying to the ground, and howling in pain.

"Ow," yells Koby. "Why'd you hit me?"

"Because I can't stand you," Luffy says.

You furrow your brows. "Koby is being kinda annoying but I think you went overboard, Luffy."

Luffy walks over to some trees and pretends not to see Koby wiping away the tears falling from his eyes.

You can’t help but feel bad for Koby. You are both very weak compared to the people around you. You don’t want to end up like Koby. Afraid of everything and everyone in the world. You shudder. _Would you ever feel safe again after today?!_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! :) Please like and comment. Add this to your library if you are loving it so far. Hopefully, I will see you in the next chapter. xoxo


	3. His name is Monkey D. Luffy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You escape from Alvida with Luffy and Koby's help. Luffy tells you both he will be the next Pirate King. Koby freaks out and tries to dissuade Luffy who tells him...what exactly!? Read and find out! :)

"I'm not afraid of dying," says Luffy taking off his straw hat. "Because it's my dream, and that's why I don't mind dying for it."

Koby stares up at Luffy in amazement. 

You also can’t help wondering where Luffy got his courage.

"Not even death can scare him," says Koby.

Luffy presses his straw hat against his chest. "Besides I think I can do it. Although it could get pretty tough out there."

You clap for Luffy who begins to turn red. "It’s nothing," he says. "I'm just pursuing my dream!"

Tears fall from Koby's eyes. "...Will I also be able to accomplish my dream? I-if I'm willing to die."

You and Luffy turn towards Koby as he cries. 

"Hm? What?" asks Luffy.

"Will I be able to become a Marine Officer?!" asks Koby.

"A Marine Officer?" you and Luffy say in unison.

"Luffy! (Y/n), I know it means that we'll be enemies! But joining the marines and catching bad guys has always been my dream!"

You shoot Koby a death stare. "How would that make us enemies?" you ask. 

Koby thinks about it before answering. "Well, aren't you going to become a pirate with Luffy now that you're an orphan?"

You don't even bother responding. _I will see my family again_; you think to yourself.

Koby continues his speech as you ruminate on him calling you an orphan. There was no way that was true! You would see your parents again..._right_?

"Well do you think I can do it?" asks Koby looking back and forth between you and Luffy.

You roll your eyes and Luffy shrugs. "I wouldn't know," he says.

"I have to at least try!" Koby says, clenching his fist. "I'd rather die trying to get out of here and join the Marines!! I don’t want to stay here and be a caretaker my entire life! And then I'll be able to arrest someone like Alvida!!"

A huge ball suddenly flies into the clearing where you all stand and lands in front of Koby's boat. He'd spent the past two years working on that boat and planning his escape from Alvida and her crew. 

You gasp when you realize the huge ball is Alvida herself, and she’s throwing her bodyweight around to smash the trees in her way. You flinch at the noise.

Alvida holds up her Iron Mace before smashing it down onto Koby's boat. You see her crew emerge into the open area behind her. They block any means of escape. There are over a dozen pirates, ready to listen to any of Alvida’s crazy commands. She could ask them to kill you all in the most brutal ways possible and they would all listen with no hesitation.

"Who did you say you were going to arrest, Koby?!"

Koby screams as he puts his arms up to block any pieces of wood flying towards him. He stares at his destroyed boat with fresh tears in his eyes. "My boat..."

"Do you think you can escape from me?!" Alvida yells. She looks at Luffy. "Is that who you hired to capture me? He doesn't seem to be Roronoa Zoro... Oh well! Before you die, I'm gonna ask you...who is the most beautiful woman in all the seas?"

"Eh?" says Luffy. 

You chuckle. _This woman has lost it!_

Koby also laughs softly. "Oh, right heh heh. Of course, the most beautiful…that'll be--"

"Whose this rude woman?" asks Luffy cutting Koby off.

Everyone's jaw drops except yours, even Koby looks horrified at Luffy's interruption. Alvida is furious! 

You move closer to Luffy, afraid a fight is about to break out. As far as you are concerned Luffy has proven he is the only one here who has the strength to go up against Alvida.

"That kid's dead!" one of the pirate's yell out.

Koby pushes you aside and grabs Luffy by his shoulders. "Luffy quick! Repeat after me! In all the seas Alvida is the most..." Koby goes silent for a moment and you wonder if he's thinking about the discussion from earlier on dying for your dreams.

"Alvida is," saiys Koby tembling. "The ugliest hag in the sea!"

You freeze as Alvida towers over all three of you with her iron mace. She glares at Koby who closes his eyes and prepares to die.

Luffy laughs.

"You little brat!" Alvida yells.

Koby screams like a little girl as Luffy gives her an arrogant smile. "Well said, now get behind me!" Luffy says pulling you behind him. Koby rushes to follow you as Alvida raises her spiky iron mace into the air.

"You three will die here!!" says Alvida slamming her iron mace down over Luffy's head.

You let out a bloodcurdling scream as Koby cries out in despair. You feel your eyes watering when Luffy laughs. Koby and you are both shocked when Luffy starts to laugh even louder.

"He's not hurt!" says Koby. "There's not a scratch on him. It's like he absorbed the impact!"

"It's useless against me," Luffy says. "Because my body is rubber!"

"Impossible!" screams Alvida. "My bludgeon attack!"

You, Koby, and Alvida's crew stare at Luffy with wide eyes. 

"No way!" one of the Pirate's shout.

Luffy grins as arrogantly as ever. "Gomu Gomu.. no... Pistol!"

"Huh?!" Alvida yells, as Luffy's right arm stretches out behind him. It snaps forward suddenly, punching Alvida directly in the face. It happens so fast you wonder if you imagined it.

The force of the punch sends Alvida sliding across the dirt road as her crewmates watch in utter shock.

"H-his arm extended!" someone shouts. "Captain Alvida was beaten by that monster!!"

Luffy points at Alvida's distressed crew. "Prepare a boat for Koby and (y/n)! Koby wants to join the Marines and (y/n) wants to be free again and find her family! So, stay out outta the way!"

Alvida's crew is stunned but they agree to his terms immediately.

Your face lights up. "Oh, thank you, Luffy!"

He laughs as you smile at him and Koby begans to cry. "Luffy...I want to brave like you."

The three of you set sail right away in the medium-sized rowboat Alvida's crew give to Luffy. You are happy to be free, but you didn't know where you are or which direction Luffy and Koby are headed. Koby feels bad about his lack of heroism. He apologizes to you about not being able to get the exact location of your island from the crew before leaving. As far as anyone knows, the tiny island your family lived on was nothing but a speck of dust on a pirate's map.

Sooner or later someone would have attacked your home with the lack of defenses and military.

Luffy tries to cheer you up when he sees you sulking about your current predicament. "We'll find your family," he says. "We won't stop searching until we help you find them. And if we never find them, I'll be your family!"

You smile softly, torn between sadness and a glimpse of hope. You are realizing just how sheltered your life had been. You won’t see your parents again. At least not the _you,_ they once knew. You stared at Luffy. He was your primary source of protection now. You decided to travel with him for the time being.

"So, you actually ate a Devil's fruit?" asks Koby. "The Gomu Gomu No Mi fruit to be exact."

Luffy nods. "It turned me into a Rubber Man!"

"What’s a Devil fruit," you ask.

Koby clears his throat. "Devil Fruits are mystical fruits found throughout the world," he says. "When consumed, Devil Fruits provide the eater with a special ability. There's one notable exception about the fruit however, an individual can only acquire the powers of a single Devil Fruit."

You listen closely and find yourself shocked that you've never heard of such of thing. Man, were you missing out on the real world and all its excitement? You think about your quiet life in the village of Springpine. Your whole life seemed dull compared to Luffy's.

You stare up at the clear blue sky and take a moment to feel the wind on your skin and the cool breeze from the sea waves surrounding you.

"Hey Luffy," Koby says. "If you're looking for One Piece, that means you have to get to the Grand Line, right?"

"Yep!"

Koby shudders. "But that place is known as the Pirate's Graveyard."

Luffy smirks. "Yea, that's why I'll need a strong crew, and one of them is being held captive at the place you're going."

"You mean Roronoa Zoro?" you say.

Luffy nods. "If he's a good guy I'm gonna ask him to join my crew!"

You smile. "That's a great idea, Luffy."

Koby shakes his head. "Don't encourage him (y/n)! Are you crazy? Luffy is dreaming again! Roronoa Zoro is like a monster!"

"We can't be sure about that yet," says Luffy.

You nod. "My parents use to tell me to never judge someone by the things you hear about them from others. Get to know them yourself so you can judge them fairly."

"It'll never work!" says Koby as you all sail off into the distance. Straight towards the Marine Base Koby dreams of joining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Another chapter complete. Please like and comment! :) Add this story to your library if you love it! New chapter coming soon!


	4. Opression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You set sail with Luffy who promises to help you find your family. In the meantime, you travel with him and Koby to the Marine Base where Luffy's potential new crewmate is being held. What will happen next? Read and find out! :P

You yawn as you sit up inside the medium-sized rowboat. Luffy is sitting on the boat's bow staring out at the ocean. Koby sits towards the front of the boat to be closer to Luffy and talk about his worries.

Luffy nods. "A monster huh?"

"Yes Luffy, Roronoa Zoro is a pirate hunter, and he's a scary person,” Koby says. “Rumors say he's like a bloodthirsty hound who wanders the sea and hunts down fugitives. He's a monster in the form of a man!"

"Oh yea," says Luffy.

You roll your eyes and lay back down. You wish Koby would give it a rest! He's scared boohoo, but _why does he have to bore you all to death?!_

"So," says Koby once again. "Let's drop the idea of recruiting this Roronoa Zoro."

Luffy shrugs and repeats himself for the 20th time. "I haven't made up my mind about recruiting him yet! But if he's a good person—"

"He was arrested because he's bad!" Koby yells.

You practically jump out of the rowing boat when it docks at the port, excited to be on land again.

Luffy laughs as he gets off the boat. "We're finally at the Marine Base!" He throws his fist into the air. "Yes finally! Your great Koby!"

You nod. "Thanks to you Koby we finally reached our destination!" you say.

Koby blushes. " Of course, that's the basics of navigation." He looks at Luffy and starts lecturing him. "If you wander around at sea all the time, you'll never become a pirate, Luffy. You should at least find a navigator to join you."

Luffy stomach growls. "Alright let's go eat!"

"Okay!" you say. "I'm starving!"

Koby frowns as he follows after you two into the noisy town. "Are you guys even listening to me?"

After finding a good tavern the three of you fill your bellies and lounge around, basking in the glow of your satisfying meal.

"Well I guess its time we went our separate ways, Koby," says Luffy. "(Y/n) and I will be fine on our own. You do your best to be a great marine alright?"

Koby starts crying. "I will! Thank you guys so much! Luffy, (y/n) you both have to become great pirates too! Although we'll be enemies in the future."

"Who said I'll become a pirate?!" you yell.

"Say, I wonder if Zoro is being kept at the Marine Base?" asks Luffy.

There is suddenly a loud crash as tables are flipped over and dishes fall onto the floor. Everyone in the tavern huddles against the wall in fear. 

“They’re scared,” you say. “And worse we are attracting unwanted attention.”

Koby gives everyone an apologetic smile before whispering to you and Luffy. “Looks like we can’t just yell out the name Zoro or people get scared. See! I told you he was a monster.”

Luffy chuckles. “We don’t know that yet.”

Koby sighs. “Anyway, I just saw a notice on the street. There’s someone called Captain Morgan at the Base!”

Once again, the tavern gets extremely noisy as tables and plates fall to the floor. Some people run out of the tavern while others try to melt into the walls.

Koby turns red. “Let’s get out of here!”

Luffy, Koby, and you decide to take a look around town. There are plenty of taverns, clothing shops and food stalls around. Kids run through the streets carrying laundry or playing with rocks. The adults rush around like there is too much to do and not enough time to do it all.

This is way more exciting than your old village Springpine. There are at least a few hundred more people to interact with. It seems so exciting not to know everyone in a Village.

Luffy laughs to himself and you and Koby look his way. 

“Man, I can’t get over how funny that was back at the tavern! I gotta go there again!”

”No, it was strange!” says Koby. “I’m starting to get a bad feeling about all of this.”

You have to agree with Koby after what you saw back at the local tavern.

Koby frowns. “I can understand why they’d all be scared of Roronoa Zoro’s name because he can escape at any moment, but why would they be afraid of a marine captain’s name too?”

“Well,” says Luffy. “He could have done something bad too, right?”

You nod. “It’s a possibility.”

Koby shakes his head as you all continue to walk through the town. “No that’s impossible!”

Luffy laughs. “Is it?”

You stop and look up at the huge white wall made out of bricks in front of you. Luffy and Koby stop and follow your lead, looking up at a huge green metal gate in the center of the wall. The word ‘Marines’ is spelled across it in black paint.

You can see two tall power plants behind the gate. The power plants are producing a thin layer of smoke into the sky. Behind it, is a big building painted multiple colors from yellow, green to red.

“It’s the marine’s Base,” says Koby. 

“It looks pretty ugly up close,” Luffy says.

“It doesn’t seem good for the air,” you say.

“Well Koby,” says Luffy. “Go ahead. You can finally join the marines.”

Koby starts to perspire. “B-But I’m not prepared yet, and that incident at the restaurant has me thinking...”

Luffy walks past Koby and over to the closed gate. “The Marines really want to keep everyone out.”

Luffy jumps up and grabs the ledge of the wall and pulls himself up to look over it. “You say Zoro is a monster. I wonder where he is.”

Luffy jumps down and runs around the wall to the other side.

“Wait for me,” you say. 

You and Koby chase after Luffy. “You won’t find him,” Koby says.

“But I saw something over here,” Luffy says. “I’m going to look over here!” 

Luffy lets you get on his back and stretches his legs up so that you both can see over the wall. 

You are still amazed at his power. You watch as he stretches his right arm down to help Koby up. Koby grabs onto the wall’s ledge and steadies himself beside you and Luffy.

“Wow, look at that person,” says Luffy.

Koby and you turn to look at the lone figure in the center of the grassless yard. The figure’s arms are spread and tied to a piece of thick wood. His body is tied with rope around a tree behind him. It looks like a cross the way the marines have him pinned to the tree. The figure’s head is looking down at the ground, but his aura is menacing.

Koby releases his grip on the wall and falls backward, hitting the ground in a panic. You don’t blame him, the man over there is the _real deal_.

“So, he’s Zoro,” Luffy says, helping Koby reach the top of wall again with his stretchy arm. “Those ropes look pretty easy to break.”

“Stop joking!” Koby yells. “If you free him he could make a mess of the whole town, and even kill you!... And us!”

You stare at Zoro who is wearing a black scarf around his short bright green hair. He has on a white shirt that is tucked inside a pair of dark green trousers. His black boots are covered in dirt as his body lays limp against the tree.

You wonder if he’s dead when he suddenly looks up from the ground and locks eyes with you. His eyes are dark and full of something that makes you feel very afraid.

“Can you please come over here and untie me?” he says, his voice deep yet calm. “I don’t bite.”

Your heart jumps. _Scary!_

“I’ve been tied up for 9 days and I’m exhausted,” Zoro says continuing to stare at you. A grin spreads across his face as blood trails down the sides of his mouth. It is clear that someone beat him up once they tied him to the tree.

“He’s smiling,” says Luffy.

“A-and he talked!” says Koby looking like he’s going to run off at any moment.

“I feel bad for him,” you say.

Koby looks at you like you’re crazy.

“I’ll repay you,” Zoro says. “I’ll hunt down some fugitives and give you guys the reward. I’m not lying. I’ll keep my word.”

You find yourself contemplating Zoro’s offer. You don’t have any money of your own or anything valuable on you. And you don’t want to depend on Luffy for your survival needs like food and water.

“No!” yells Koby. “Don’t you two even think about it. Do not be fooled by his words. He’ll kill us and escape!”

Luffy laughs. “He can’t kill me! I’m too strong.”

Zoro narrows his gaze and looks past Koby. “Huh?” he says.

You all turn to look where Zoro is staring and watch in astonishment as a wooden ladder is placed beside Koby and a little girl no older than eight years old climbs up it. 

“I thought I heard something,” says Zoro smirking.

“Huh?!” you all say staring at the little girl.

Her big round eyes glare at you all before she puts a finger to her lip. “Shhhh!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks so much for reading. Please like and comment! I love feedback. Add this story to your library if you want more updates. :)


	5. Pirate Hunter Zoro Enters!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You arrive at Marine Base with Luffy and Koby. Koby wants to join the Marines and Luffy is looking for the fugitive hunter Roronoa Zoro to join his crew. However, things take a weird turn for the worse when a little girl shows up to your meeting with pirate hunter Zoro. Read to see what happens next!

The little girl climbs over the ledge of the white wall and drops clumsily to the ground holding something in her arms. She walks over to Zoro, as Koby calls after her.

"Ah, wait! Don't do it! It's too dangerous!" he says.

The little girl ignores him and holds out two rice ball on a piece of cloth to Zoro. She smiles. "Hi, mister! I made some rice balls for you! You haven't eaten in a long time, right?"

Zoro glares at the little girl. Short black pigtails fall to her shoulders. "Do you want to die, or something," he says. "Get lost!"

Koby elbows Luffy. "Hey, Luffy go stop her now! She could get killed!"

You turn your attention back to Zoro as Luffy and Koby start to bicker at each other. You don't say anything, but you are just as worried about the little girl as Koby. You wonder what she could be thinking, breaking into a Marine Base just to feed a criminal.

You watch as the little girl continues to smile at Zoro, offering him the two rice balls. "This is the first time I made rice balls--"

"I'm not hungry!!" Zoro says. "Go away!"

The little girl frowns. "But..."

"I don't want it! Leave me alone, or I'll kill you!" yells Zoro.

The little girl looks startled when another metal gate swings open behind her and Zoro.

"Roronoa Zoro!" a blond-haired man, wearing a purple suit with green sleeved cuffs says. He's tall and scrawny and wears a flashy gold ring while staring at Zoro with a conceited grin. "Don't pick on kids. Or else I'll have to tell my father about it."

"Helmeppo," Zoro grumbles.

You stare at Helmeppo and get a weird feeling about him. He doesn't look nice at all. You doubt someone like him should be a part of the Marines. Two other Marine guards stand behind him with rifles.

"Some weird guy showed up," says Luffy.

Koby sighs in relief, as he struggles to keep his body weight up against the wall. You feel grateful that Luffy let you sit on his back.

"He must be someone important in the Marine's," Koby says. "Thank goodness that little girl is safe now...."

Zoro scoffs. "Tch...if it isn't the Captin's bastard son."

"Bastard!" Helmeppo yells. "Don't get cocky. My dad is a Marine Lieutenant! Know your place!" 

Helmeppo walks over to the little girl standing in front of Zoro. "Well hello, little girl. These rice balls look pretty tasty."

He grabs one of the balls as the little girl protests. "Ah! Stop it!" she says.

Helmeppo takes a bite and starts to chew. He makes a face that you can't help but laugh at. "Blegh! Horrible!" he says. "You put too much sugar in it! You're supposed to put salt in these things."

"But...but I thought they'll taste better sweet!" the little girl says.

Helmeppo slaps the rice ball out of her hands and stomps them into the dirt. "How could someone eat something like this? Damn it!"

"Ahh! Stop it!" the little girl screams. "He can't eat them anymore!!"

You gasp. "That asshole!"

"That's so cruel," says Koby. "That girl worked so hard to make those rice balls!"

"Don't worry," Helmeppo laughs. "The ants will eat them all up! Hahahaha!"

He stares down at the little girl in contempt.

She starts to cry. As tears fall from her eyes, her shoulder start to shake. "You're so cruel. I tried really hard to make those..."

Helmeepo sneers at her. "It’s all your fault you know?" he says pointing to a nearby sign.

The dirty sign had the words 'No Trespassing! -Enforced by the Marines' written on it, and a lengthy paragraph underneath it.

Helmeepo reads off the sign. "Anyone who helps a prisoner will be charged with the same crime. Written by my father, Marine Captain Morgan."

He puts a finger under the little girl's chin and forces her to look at him. He hutches over slightly to be face to face with her. "You know how scary my dad can be, right? You would have gotten the death penalty if you were a grown-up!"

Helmeepo releases the little girl's chin and stands up tall. He waves his hand towards one of the nearby guards. "Oi, throw this brat out over the wall she climbed over."

"Huh?" the guard says.

Helmeepo grabs the guard by the collar and screams. "I'm telling you to throw her outta here!! Are you trying to disobey me?! I'm telling my dad!! "

The guard trembles. "Ay..Aye sir!" The guard lifts the little girl into his arms and throws her as hard as he can over the wall.

The little girl screams, and you instinctively jump off Luffy's back and roll onto the hard ground. Koby follows after you as Luffy jumps into the sky and grabs the little girl. He takes the full impact of the fall while protecting the girl in his arms. He skids to a stop a few feet away from you.

Koby jumps up and rushes over to the little girl, pulling her away from Luffy. "Are you alright?"

"Those bastards!" you say as Luffy walks over to help you up.

You dust yourself off and cringe at the pain in your left shoulder. You notice Luffy frown and look towards the wall. You glance at Koby and the little girl and decide to follow after Luffy. You get on his back and he stretches up to see over the wall again. 

Helmeepo is patronizing Zoro. " I didn't think you'd have this kind of endurance!" he says. "I'm gonna keep you alive for one whole month."

"You better keep your promise," says Zoro with a dark look in his eyes. 

Helmeepo and his guards walk away. "Oh, I'll keep my promise," he says. " If you can live like this for one whole month, I'll keep my word and release you!... Good luck Roronoa."

The metal gates slam shut behind them. Luffy jumps over the wall while carrying you on his back. When he lands on his feet you get off his back, and both walk over to Zoro. You stay a few steps behind Luffy, not wanting to get in the way.

Zoro looks at the two of you and frowns. "You guys still haven't left? Leave now, or else he'll go tell his dad about you.”

"Oh, yea?" Luffy mumbles. "Well, I'm looking for someone to join my pirate fleet."

"Pirate? " Zoro says. "Heh, so you two gave up on life and became crooks huh?"

You wave your hands in front of you. "I'm not a pirate!"

The way Zoro looks at you, you can tell he doesn't believe you.

"No, really!" you say. "A group of bad pirates kidnapped me and Luffy saved my life! He's going to help me find my family. He's not a bad guy at all."

"Being a pirate is my dream," Luffy says staring at Zoro. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to sail the seas as a pirate!"

Zoro grins. "Hm. Don't tell me you're gonna set me free and force me to join your crew."

Luffy laughs. "I haven't made up my mind yet. Since you're a bad guy.

"A bad guy huh?" says Zoro. "I'll never join you because I have something that I need to take care of. I could survive even if you don't help me! If I can survive for a month, I'll be set free. That idiot son made me a promise. I'm gonna do everything I can to stay alive and fulfill my dream!!"

You recognize the look of determination in Zoro's eyes. It’s the same look Luffy has when he says he will be King of the Pirates.

"Really?" Luffy says. "If I were you, I'd starve to death in a week.”

"That's why we're different," says Zoro. "Go find someone else to join you."

Luffy turns to walk away.

"Hey! Hold on," Zoro says. 

"Huh?" Luffy reponds.

Zoro looks at the ground. "That... can you pick it up for me?"

You pick up the rice balls that are coated in dirt. "You want to eat this?" you say. "But it’s all dirty."

"Well I guess you can't be picky about food when you are hungry," Zoro says. "Shut up. Just give it to me. Let me eat all of it."

You place the matted rice balls into Zoro's mouth and try not to puke. He chews the rice with a pained expression as sweat starts to drip from his face. After a few minutes, he manages to swallow the rice. 

You watch him in pity. _Disgusting!_

"Do you want to kill yourself?" asks Luffy.

Zoro coughs and looks at you. "Tell that little girl..."

"Tell her what?" Luffy asks.

Zoro struggles to speak. "That the rice balls taste very good. Thank you very much." Zoro says looking towards the ground.

Luffy laughs as you stare at Zoro. _Looks like he isn’t such a bad guy after all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! Please like and comment!. Add this story to our library if you want more updates! xoxo


	6. A Cowardly Son & Axe Arm Morgan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You discover that the Marine's have crooked guards as you watch a marine captain's son assault a little girl. You worry about your future and your missing family. Koby reconsiders joining the marines, and Zoro refuses to join Luffy's crew. Will Luffy take no for an answer? Read and find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Chapters in one because I love you guys! Thanks for the support! :)

**Part 1: A Cowardly Son**

"Really?" says the little girl. "He liked my rice balls?"

"Yep!" you say. "Zoro ate all of it."

"I'm so happy!" the little girl says, staring up at you.

You are all standing outside her home. Luffy is sitting on a stoop, while Koby is sitting on top of a barrel nearby. 

"Hmm..is Zoro really that horrible as his reputation makes him out to be," Koby asks.

"No, he isn't!" the little girl says. "That man didn't do anything wrong. It's just that the people in this town are afraid of him. He got arrested because of me. He killed Helmeppo's pet wolf because Helmeppo let his wolf run around town freely and everyone got scared."

Luffy frowns. "So, you're saying that Zoro only got arrested because he killed Helmeppo's wolf?"

The little girl nods her head sadly. "Yes."

Koby gasps. "You were right, Luffy! So what? Zoro has a bad temper, chasing down fugitives isn't that big of a crime either."

"The only bad guys are the Morgans!" says the little girl sitting beside Luffy on the stoop. "You'll get executed if you disobey them, so everyone is afraid of them."

A loud racket a few feet away captures your attention, as a familiar voice cuts through the air. "Who the hell dares to raise their head when I walk by! I'll tell my dad!!"

Luffy stands up as Helmeppo makes his way through the town. People throw themselves on the ground and grovel as Helmeppo and his guards walk by.

"Do you want to be like Roronoa Zoro? I'm gonna publicly execute him in three days." Helmeppo yells to the cowering townsfolk. "I'll use him to set an example for all of you! It's gonna be pretty interesting."

Luffy steps in front of Helmeppo when he reaches you all. "Huh? How rude! " he says to Luffy in disgust. "Who are you?"

"Didn't you say you'll give Zoro a month?" Luffy says.

Helmeppo laughs. "I was joking with him! Only an idiot would believe me!"

Zoro’s face flashes into your mind. You remember how determined he looked as he spoke to you and said. “I don’t need your help. I can stay alive on my own! I just need to stay alive for one month. That bastard son will let me go afterward.”

You feel a pang in your heart for Zoro when suddenly Helmeppo yells out in pain.

Luffy’s fist connects with Helmeppo's jaw, sending him flying a few feet away. People lift their heads off the ground and gasp. 

You flinch and notice the veins on Luffy’s arm. He keeps his fists clenched as he walks over to Helmeppo who is sitting on the ground. Helmeppo holds his face in shock.

You never thought Luffy could get so mad. With a jolt, you realize Luffy isn't done yet. You rush after him and grab his left arm as Koby follows and grabs Luffy's right arm.

"Luffy," you say. "Please calm down!"

"You want to mess with the marines or something?!" you hear Koby yell.

Luffy voice lowers to a low growl as he speaks. "Koby, (y/n), I've decided!"

"Huh?" Koby and you say in unison.

"I'm gonna ask Zoro to join my crew!" Luffy says glaring down at a frightened Helmeppo.

"T-this is bad!!" someone says from the crowd forming around us. "He dared to hit the Captain’s son. Captain Morgan won't forgive him!"

You release Luffy's arm as Koby takes over, grabbing both of Luffy's arms behind him. "Luffy! Calm yourself,” Koby says. “They are Marines!"

"I don't care!" says Luffy. "A bastard is still a bastard!"

Helmeppo blinks like he is realizing something for the first time. "Y-you dare to hit me?!" he asks. "My dad hasn't even hit me once in my life!"

Helmeppo stands up with the help of two of his guards. "I'm the marine Captain Morgan's son! I'll tell him about this!"

Everyone in the crowd gasps in disbelief. The tension is so thick it can be cut with a knife.

Luffy's breathing is heavy. "Why don't you fight me yourself?!" he says to Hemeppo who has started to sweat while wincing and holding his jaw. He rubs the side of his jaw as his guards help him retreat by holding him up so he can walk.

"Luffy!" Koby says holding him back from chasing after Helmeppo. "Don't do this!"

"You'll regret hitting me!" Helmeppo calls out to you all. "You'll get a death sentence for it! And my dad will be the one who executes you!"

Helmeppo's figure disappears into the distance with his guards helping him all the way

Luffy dusts off his straw hat and sighs, placing it back on top of his head. "It's meaningless to hit people like him..."

"Bastard!" Helmeppo's voice rings out from somewhere far. You can't see him anymore but he’s obviously still furious.

"He ran away," Koby says in disbelief. 

You chuckle. "He wasn't so tough after all!"

The little girl from earlier walks up to Luffy. "Mister you are so cool! Just then I was scared to death that you wouldn't be alight."

"Really," Luffy smiles crossing his arms. "I should have hit him a couple more times!"

A woman's voice captures you all by surprise. "Ri-rika!" a woman yells. She's wearing a green and black dress that stops at her ankles. "Come here now! Haven't I told you to never talk to strangers."

The woman grabs Rika by her arm and guides her towards their home. "You'd be executed too if you are mistaken as one of their friends."

"But mom," Rika says. "He's a good person! They all are, and so is Zoro..."

"Don't be silly!" her mom says, pulling her inside their home. "Did you sneak into the execution site again?!"

"No...no I didn't!" says Rika.

Her mom shakes her head. "Just come back inside quickly!"

Rika casts a sad glance our way as Luffy waves. "Bye-bye." he smiles as the door to Rika's house slam shut.

There is a moment of silence as you watch the crowd disperse and gossip amongst themselves about what just happened.

Koby pulls at his purple hair violently and screams. "Looks like we are in a lot of trouble! If the Captain gets mad he might send marines after us!"

Luffy walks past Koby and you. "We'll deal with it when the time comes. I'm gonna go talk to Zoro."

Koby starts to protest but you calm him down and place your hands on his shoulders. "Koby," you say. "I'm gonna follow Luffy and make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble. You stay behind and watch after Rika. Also, find out who this Captain Morgan is."

Koby shakes his head. "No one will talk to me after what just happened here. They'll avoid me like the plague!" 

"Figure it out!" you say running after Luffy.

Koby sighs in exasperation as he watches the both of you go. "Those two are going to get themselves killed!"

"Yo," says Luffy as you both walk over to Zoro. He is still tied to the tree, his arms spread behind him on a thick plank of wood. Zoro's black scarf is wet from all the sweat dripping from his bright green hair. His tan skin gleams with perspiration under the scorching sun.

You notice how muscular Zoro’s arms are and realize he must be really strong. He looks exhausted, thirsty, and moments away from passing out.

You wish you had some water to give him. You notice dried blood matted to the side of his head. _Looks painful,_ you think.

"It's you two again," says Zoro. "I told you I don't want to be a pirate!"

Luffy smiles and stands a few inches away from Zoro. "I'm Luffy. If I loosen up the ropes, then you're gonna join my crew, okay?!"

Zoro frowns. "I told you clearly! I have things that I need to do first. Besides I'm not going to be a bad guy like a pirate."

"Why do you care?" asks Luffy.

You nod. "Everyone already thinks you're the bad guy, Zoro."

He glares at you, "I don't care what they say about me!" I haven't done one thing that I regretted in the past, and it will be the same for the future!"

He turns his head to look at Luffy. "I won't become a pirate."

Luffy is silence for a moment as you and Zoro stare at him.

"I don't care!" Luffy finally says. "You are going to join me!"

You start to laugh at Luffy's audaciousness, but Zoro looks caught off guard by Luffy's idiocy.

"D-don't just decide for yourself!" he yells.

"Hey, I heard you use a katana," says Luffy. "Is that right?"

"...Yea," Zoro responds. "If I wasn't tied up, I could use a katana."

"So, you're a swordsman?" you ask.

Zoro nods.

"Where is your katana?" Luffy asks.

"That bastard took it," says Zoro nodding towards the big building behind the two nearby power plants. "That sword is something that I treasure more than my life."

"That must be a special sword," you say.

Zoro doesn't respond.

"Oh, I get it," says Luffy. "Your treasure huh? That sword must be great." He smiles. "Okay! I'm gonna go to where that bastard kid is and get your katana back!"

"What?' says Zoro.

"But if you want me to return it to you, you'll have to join me!" says Luffy laughing.

Zoro's eyes almost popped out of his head. "That's playing dirty!" he says.

Luffy begins to run off in the direction of the building. "(Y/n), look after Zoro. I'll be back with the Katana in no time!"

You and Zoro watch as Luffy's running figure fades into the distance,

"Is he really planning on sneaking into the base?" Zoro asks.

You nod. "I've only known Luffy for a short time, but I believe he means what he says."

"What a fool!!" Zoro says.

It falls quiet as you stand around trying not to stare at the terrible position Zoro is in. Being at the mercy of others is humiliating and you know from experience.

You see Zoro staring at the dress you are wearing out of the corner of your eye. You cringe. The dress you're wearing could be a potato sack for how bad your mom sewed it together.

Your family did not have the money to buy garments from the only tailor in your village. Instead, your mother would sew together pieces of cloth she received from friends and old towels she had lying around.

No one in the Springpine knew what fancy fashion was so you were never made fun of for your horrible dress, but you always dreamed of acquiring a beautiful dress made of silk one day.

You smile remembering another memory about your old home villiage, how by sheer luck, your father had managed to buy you three books by the time you were 9. You'd read them over and over again throughout the following years. They were all books full of fairytales about girls who were just as poor as you, but they always ended up rich with a happily ever after. 

You never thought you'd be lucky enough to get the same happy ending, but you never thought you lose your family either. Life was showing you just how brutal it could be. You stared down at your legs noticing how short your dress had gotten over the years. It stopped a few inches above your knees and was frayed all over. You felt as low as the bottom of the sea.

_Could things get any worse?_

"You said Luffy saved your life," Zoro says momentarily distracting you from your depressing thoughts.

You nod. "I was captured by pirates and God knows what they would have done to me," you say. "But Luffy saved me."

Zoro doesn’t respond. His gaze travels down your body, stopping at your legs.

You were busty for your age and your hips were already spreading. Your father would often boast about your beauty back in the village and brag about how you would marry the richest boy around. He took pride in your beauty, that even though you were so young you could turn a bar full of grown men's heads to lust after you.

Your dad was just money hungry, like most of the dads in Springpine. It wasn't unusual for a father to want to marry off his daughter to the highest bidder. It was a way for girls to save their family from poverty, although it was a burden only the daughter would bear.

You remember that within a year from now you were supposed to be married to the village chief. A 51-year-old man with back problems and a short temper. He was the wealthiest man in the village though not by much. No one really knew what true wealth was ( like the ones you read about in fairy tales involving castles, fancy balls, expensive gowns, and exotic food), but the chief had more than the necessities and he had access to consistent food, water, and shelter.

It's not like the age gap was rare in your village. Your father often told you that you would be ready for marriage within a year on your sixteenth birthday. You never said it aloud, but you detested the idea of marrying such an older man. You'd spoken with the chief before as he courted you with flowers and cheap gifts, but he was just so boring and self-absorbed.

You remember how one day he came to stay at your father’s Inn. His presence met your dad would receive a fair amount of money, but you all knew why he was _really _there. He insisted you bring him his watery soups and you often caught his staring at your behind when cleaning the room, he slept in.

The chief creeped you out. Worse of all, he would always try to kiss on the lips when the two of you were alone. But you’d always dodge and flee for your life. He thought you were being coy or naive, but you just found him gross. 

You feel yourself smiling_. I don't have to get married anymore;_ you realize. That’s one of the few good things that have come out of this nightmare!"

"You must have been scared," says Zoro suddenly. "A defenseless lady like you captured by pirates. Why would you want to travel with another pirate after all that?"

You stare at Zoro. "Luffy saved my life! He's nothing like those monsters that kidnapped me!"

You remember the way those pirates leered at you after telling them your age. You shiver. "Luffy is brave. He saves whoever he can without caring about how it inconveniences him. No other pirate is like Luffy!"

Zoro smirks. "So how long have you been in love with him?"

You choke on thin air. "I don't love Luffy! I just met him like a day ago!"

Zoro laughs. "So, you don't believe in love at first sight."

Your breath catches in your throat. _Did you believe in love at first sight? _With the number of fairytales, you'd read throughout the years the thought did appeal to you. You felt yourself blushing. "That's no way to talk to someone trying to help you!"

"I didn't ask for your help," Zoro says, too cocky for your liking. "I told you all I can get out of this on my own. No help from kids."

Now it's your turn to smile arrogantly. "You know I felt bad for you earlier, but now I can see clearly that it's your mouth that gets you into all this trouble."

Zoro laughs and you're shocked by how genuine it sounds.

You can't help but turn away and smile triumphantly.

"You two are strange," he says when the moment passes. "You and that kid."

You turn around in annoyance. "The boy who will save you is named Luffy, and I am (y/n)!"

"Well do you and Luffy have a death sentence?" he asks seriously. "That kid doesn't know who he's dealing with. If I had my katana, I could save all of us."

"Pretty arrogant words for someone who is tied up," you say with a smirk.

Zoro's eyes narrow. "I can back up what I say!"

You wave a hand in front of you. "Sure, sure," you say dismissively.

"Whatever!" Zoro yells. "I'll never join that kid's crew!"

Over half an hour passes with You and Zoro sitting in intense silence. _"What a jerk!"_ you think. You look around bored and notice purple hair appear over the white wall across from you and Zoro.

Seconds later Koby lifts his head and hops over the wall.

"What's taking you and Luffy so long?" he asks running over to you and Zoro.

You fill Koby in on Luffy's current plan and he freaks out.

"What?!" he says. "Luffy is inside the base. He's too hot-headed I swear!"

"Yeah your right," Zoro says. "Anyway, who are you?"

'I'm Koby," he says. "Well, what are we going to do, (y/n)?! I found out who Helmeppo's father is and he is scary! Apparently, he's more ruthless than Helmeppo!"

You think it over briefly and decide you and Koby should try to help Zoro escape, just in case Luffy has gotten involved in something that's holding up his time from getting Zoro's katana.

"I'll try to untie Zoro's right arm," you say. "Koby you untie the left! Hurry, Luffy’s been gone for a while now and I'm starting to worry!"

"Oi!" Zoro says as you both try to free him. "If you help me, they are going to kill all of you!"

"You shouldn't be arrested!" you say.

Koby nods. "I can't stand those kids of marines, spreading pain and suffering wherever they go! I'm going to become a real marine! Just like Luffy is determined to become the King of the Pirates!"

"What?" Zoro says in shock. "Pirate King? Are you joking?!"

Koby laughs as you both try desperately to untie Zoro's ropes. "I was a bit shocked when I first heard him say it but he's serious."

"Big deal!" you say. "Isn't that just some old rumor turned legend." 

**POW!**

A loud bang startles you all as Koby falls onto the ground screaming.

"Get behind me!" Zoro yells. You do as he says noticing Koby's white shirt is turning red. _He's been shot! _

Zoro turns his head in the direction the bullet came from, you follow his gaze towards the top of the power plant nearby and freeze. 

You were all in _big_ trouble.

**Part 2: Axe Arm Morgan**

> **Previous Chapter:** Luffy is determined to get Zoro to join his crew. He plans to get back Zoro's sword from the Marine Captain in exchange for Zoro joining his crew. You realize the pros and cons of being separated from your family. Helmeppo seeks revenge on Luffy. Koby is shot! Zoro doubts Luffy's ability to save you all. What happens next? Read and find out! :P

Koby touches his bleeding shoulder and looks at the blood on his hands in despair. "I've been shot, and I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding!"

Koby starts to hyperventilate while lying on the ground. "I'm gonna die!!!"

You and Zoro stare at him.

"Are you alright?" Zoro asks. He turns his head to look at you. "Run for your life. They're almost here..."

You start to protest when Koby's groaning interrupts you. "No! We can't run. (Y/n), and I need to set you free as soon as possible!!"

Zoro frowns. "There is no need to worry about me. As long as I can stay alive for a month, they'll set me free. Just hurry up and leave!"

You come from behind the tree Zoro is tied to and walk over to check on Koby.

You look at Zoro while helping Koby up. "They will not set you free!” you say trying not to cry. “Because they are going to kill you in three days!"

Zoro's gold eyes widen. "Nonsense! That bastard promised me that if I could survive like this for a month, he'd free me..."

"He never intended to keep his promise," you say. That's why Luffy punched him earlier on your behalf. Because he is toying with you!"

You see the disappointment in Zoro's eyes. "What did you just say?" he asks.

Koby leans against you using his good shoulder. "The marines will never let the two of you off," he says, panting from the pain in his left shoulder.

You can't help but feel bad for Koby as he struggles to continue speaking. "Please Zoro, after I set you free, please help Luffy, and (y/n) escape!"

You look over at Koby stuck between feelings of annoyance and admiration. He wants you and Luffy to escape to safety before he goes off to join the marines.

"I will not force you to become a pirate," says Koby. "However, Luffy saved our lives! Luffy is also very strong! As long as you two join forces, you will all be able to escape this town definitely!"

You hear running behind you and Koby and turn to see a dozen marine guards running towards you with rifles. "That's enough!!" one of them yells as they all surround you. "The three of you will die here! You have all betrayed Captain Morgan!"

"What do you have to say for yourself?!" another guard yells as they all take aim at you with their rifles.

You feel your heart stop momentarily. Koby begins to cry as Zoro glares at the riflemen.

A booming voice fills the sky. "Surround the base! Don't let the guy with the straw-hat escape!!"

"Oh no," Koby whimpers loud enough for you and Zoro to here. "It's the captain! Axe Arm Morgan!" 

You all see a tall muscular man make his way over to you all. He's wearing blue slacks and a black button-up shirt, and his hair is blonde. The exact same color as his son Helmeppo you assume.

His blue vest is long enough to reach the ground and it flaps around him as the wind begans to pick up.

You try to blink away the dirt fluttering around. This is the worse time for a dust storm

"How interesting," says the giant man stopping a few feet away from you all. "The four of you including that straw hat pirate were planning to cause a political upheaval.?"

You notice he's missing his right hand and in its place is a huge ax glistening under the sun's ray instead.

_"He has an ax for a hand! He's definitely going to kill us!"_ you think.

"Roronoa Zoro," he says glaring at Zoro intently. "I've heard your name long ago, but do not underestimate me." He flexes showing off the muscles on both his arms. It is clear having an ax for a right hand does not stop him from putting up an intense fight.

"Before me and my great strength," he said raising his ax hand. "You are garbage!" Captain Morgan glares at you and signals to his men. "Ready!"

They take aim, making sure there are at least three guards pointing a rifle at each of you.

Koby clenches his teeth together as he cries.

You continue to hold him up while looking at the guns aimed at you and fearing for the worse.

Zoro looks like he's lost track of what is happening but you hear him whisper. "I can't die here...I still have things I need to settle!" He stares intensely off into space. "I made a promise!"

He yells out the last line loud enough for everyone to hear him. "I cannot die here!!"

Captain Morgan smirks. "Fire!!!"

Koby screams as you both hug each other, but seconds later the sound of shattering glass echoes throughout the air.

Luffy is quick, he doesn't spare a moment to shoot himself in front of all of you from a window in the main building. He lands in front of you and Koby and blocks the oncoming bullets with his body, using his arms to block any stray bullets from connecting with you and Zoro's faces.

Everyone stares in disbelief. Captain Morgan and his men gawk at Luffy who doesn't have a scratch on him. He's bent over looking at the ground. It looks like he's holding in his breath. 

You notice out of the corner of your eye Zoro's jaw drop. "I told you he would save us," you say loud enough for only him to hear you.

He looks like he can't believe it. "You," says Zoro looking at Luffy.

"That damn straw hat," the Captain yells.

Luffy's skin stretches out behind him and you gasp noticing the bullets that hit him are stretching out his body. He jumps up and flings his arms out sending the bullets flying towards the marines.

They scatter as Luffy yells. "It's no use!!"

"What the hell!" Captain Morgan yells.

"What kind of monster are you?" asks Zoro staring at Luffy incredulously.

Luffy laughs. "I'm the one who will become the Pirate King!"

Luffy holds up three katanas that none of you happened to notice earlier in all the chaos taking place. "Look which one is your treasured katana? I couldn't figure it out, so I brought all three of them."

"All three belong to me," says Zoro. "Because I use three katanas."

Luffy turns to face the marines who are gathering around you all again with their rifles.

Captain Morgan stand a few centimeters behind them in an open space.

"Resisting the marines here together will make you an outlaw," Luffy says to Zoro. "Or maybe you actually want to die here instead of joining my crew."

Zoro chuckles arrogantly. "Are you the devil...forget it. Rather than just dying here, why don't I just agree to your request and become a pirate!"

Luffy throws his fist in the air and smiles. "Yes, I have a companion!"

You feel a pang in your heart.

Well, you did say you would never become a pirate and its clear Luffy believes you. Of course, he would consider Zoro his first crewmate. You smile sadly and try not to let it bother you. 

"Okay, hurry up and get these ropes off me!" Zoro says.

You hear one of the marine guards yell out. "That guy just now! How the hell did he do that? Where did he come from?"

"Who cares!" another guard yells. "How the hell did he manage to repel all of those bullets?!"

"That rascal isn't normal," says Captin Axe Morgan. "He must have eaten one of the 'Devil's Fruit."

"He ate one of the Devil's fruit?" says a nearby guard. "Then his ability is due to the fruit."

The guards start to whisper amongst themselves to the captain's annoyance.

Suddenly one of the guards watching Luffy yell out. "Captain Morgan, that guy's taking off Zoro's ropes!"

"Don't let them take them off!" the Captain yells.

You start to jump up and down yelling at Luffy to hurry up. You see the guards rushing towards you all and scream as Luffy calmly messes with Zoro's ropes.

"If guns don't work, we'll use our swords to kill him!" the guards yell while tackling each other to reach you all. 

"Damn this knot is so hard to untie..." says Luffy. 

"Just hurry up!" Zoro yells.

Koby wakes up with a start and you notice he's lying on the ground rubbing his head. 

"What, did you faint?" you ask.

Koby looks around dazed and notices the guards running over to you all and screams. His eyes almost pop out of his socket. 

"I can't concentrate," Luffy says.

"We don't have time for you to take your time!" Zoro yells.

"Luffy, Zoro look out!" you scream believing the end is near.

Koby grabs onto you and closes his eyes.

"OH! I untied one side," says Luffy. 

"Idiot!" yells Zoro. "Get my swords now!!"

"All those who oppose me must die!!" yells Captin Morgan.

His guards lift their swords into the air. They are only inches away, and there is nowhere to run. 

You feel Luffy stretchy arms wrap around you and Koby as he jumps up into the sky away from the charging guards.

You notice he's left Zoro behind and cry out when you hear the clashing sound of swords.

Luffy lands on the ground a short distance away and you all notice Zoro facing away from the guards while expertly blocking all off their swords with his own. His arms are stretched behind him.

There is a sword in each hand and one clenched between his teeth. He is posed like a vicious wolf with his knees slightly bent in a squatting position about to attack.

"What?" Koby and Captain Morgan yell.

"So cool!" says Luffy.

You're taken aback by Zoro's menacing stare, and you notice the guards seem surprised as well.

_Just what kind of person is, Zoro?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading. Comment and add to your library for more updates! xoxo


	7. The Pirate King and the Great Swordsman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You are all surrounded by marines with rifles when Luffy shows up at the last second to save the day. He has Zoro's swords. Koby isn’t looking good with his gunshot wound and there’s no way of escape with Axe Arm Morgan around. Read to see what happens next!

Zoro crouches like a wolf waiting to attack and faces away from the guards. His arms stretch behind him blocking all attacks, and there is a sword in each hand and one clenched strongly between his teeth. 

"What the hell?" says Captain Morgan.

"He can use three swords?" Koby gasps.

Luffy tells you to look after Koby and walks over to Zoro.

"You all better not move!" says Zoro through clenched teeth. "You move and I'll kill you!"

You see the marine guards’ arms starting to shake against Zoro's swords. 

_They're afraid,_ you think. Zoro is definitely ready for a fight.

You watch Luffy walk over to stand in front of Zoro.

"I already told you I'd become a pirate," says Zoro. "Either way, after this incident with the marines I'd be an outlaw too."

Luffy stares at Zoro without speaking. You can't help but admire Zoro's jaw strength. You can't believe he's able to talk so clearly without using his teeth.

"I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman!" Zoro says. "I no longer care if my name is clean or not. Bad guy, good guy it no longer matters! As long as my name is known worldwide!"

Everyone just stares at Zoro, speechless as his words sink in. "If you do something that ends up in the way of my goal," he says to Luffy. "I will cut your stomach open as a token of your apology!"

Luffy doesn't even flinch at Zoro's words. Instead, he smiles goofily. "Good! To be the world's greatest swordsman" Luffy says. "You have to be the pirate king's, first mate! If you can't even accomplish something that small, then I would be very embarrassed for you!"

"Heh, well said," Zoro says. 

A thunderous voice fills the air. "What the hell are you guys doing just standing around!!" yells Captain Morgan. "Hurry up and finish those two off!"

You take this opportunity to help Koby lean against your shoulder with his good arm. Since Captain Morgan is distracted you want to put some distance between you, Koby, and the fight that is about to go down.

You smile as you help Koby walk across the yard to the opposite side of the confrontation taking place. You’re not worried at all about Zoro and Luffy, you feel like their meeting is destiny, and you feel proud to have been a part of it.

"Zoro, duck!" Luffy yells swinging his left leg behind him. "Gomu Gomu...Whip!!"

Luffy's leg swings forward, stretching out across the lawn. The marine guards cry out as Luffy’s leg sends them all crashing into each other. The guards are all knocked off their feet and fall backwards.

The men are all thrown around the yard as they scream. Their bodies hit the ground with a loud thud. 

"Super cool," Koby yells out beside you. 

"What are you doing?" says Zoro.

"I'm a rubber man," Luffy says, snapping his leg back into place and showing Zoro.

"A rubber man?!" says a marine guard struggling to lift his body up off the ground. 

"Captain we can't kill these two!" another guard yells. "They’re too strong!"

The guards all start to mumble amongst themselves in agreement.

You look over at Luffy and Zoro and stare in awe at their aura's. _They are_ _Confident, self-assured, and fearless._

You can’t believe two men like this actually exist outside of a book.

Zoro is standing now, still facing away from the marine guards arrogantly. His swords ready for battle.

Luffy stands behind him a few inches away, looking down at his feet to check for injuries. His straw hat hides his gaze. They are pretty cool you admit, _arrogant, but cool nevertheless._

"This is an order!" says Captain Morgan. "To the guards who said they want to give up, get a gun and kill yourself immediately!" He clenches his only hand into a fist, glaring at the marines near him. "I don't need useless soldiers, and that's an order!"

You watch in horror as a few of the guards standing near the captain hold up rifles to their own heads and shoot. Their bodies hit the ground with a disheartening sound.

Luffy runs towards Captain Morgan as Zoro yells at them. "What the hell do these marines think they are doing?!"

"I am the marines’ worse nightmare!" says Luffy jumping a few feet ahead towards the Captain.

He lounges at Captain Morgan and grabs the smooth top surface of his ax.

The Captain jerks him off immediately and glares. "People like you, without status," Morgan says. "Have no right to oppose me!" He raises his ax arm and swings it at Luffy. "I am Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan!!"

Luffy dodges a few of his swings and speaks. "My name is Luffy!" he says barley missing the captain's ax by an inch. "Nice to meet you."

Captain Morgan continues to swing at him. "Go to hell!!" 

He swings his ax towards Luffy's stomach and Luffy jumps into the air, bringing his knees up to his head. He holds on to his hat as the wind from Morgan's attack causes it to flutter. 

You and Koby stare in shock as the nearby wall splits in half from the force of the wind from Morgan's attack. "Wah," Koby screams. "That wall broke in half just like that!"

"I saw it too," you say. "We need to think of an escape and quick! At this rate, this noise will attract the attention of the whole town!"

Luffy is still in the air when he shoots his legs down to kick captain Morgan in the face. The captain's jaw is kicked towards the sky, sending him flying backwards. He grunts in pain as he hits the ground loudly.

"Captain!" the surrounding guards yell! "He was hit!"

Captain Morgan gets ups immediately. "You little bastard!" he says using his free arm to swing his axe hand. "He aims for Luffy's head and lounges at him. "Go to hell straw-hat!"

He slams his axe hand down, narrowly missing Luffy who flips himself around the attack and into the air. "I'm not dead yet!" he says laughing. Luffy’s right leg stretches around him, crossing over his rotating body to connect hard with the side of Captain Morgan's temple. The Captain's eyes go white from shock and he falls to the ground unconscious. 

_KO, _you think.

"Too...too strong," Koby says gawking at Luffy.

The marine guards are in disbelief. "Captain Morgan," one of the guard's say. "He was only able to be kicked around."

"Some great marine you are," says Luffy lifting captain Morgan off the ground by his collar. "You destroyed Koby's dream, and goals.”

"Wait!!' a shrill and familiar voice yells out. "Release my father now!"

Luffy punches the captain and sends him flying a few feet away. 

"You idiot!" Helmeppo yells. He catches you off guard, running up to you and grabbing you from behind by your shoulders. He kicks Koby onto the ground and screams towards Luffy. "If you want this girl to survive, then don't move!" he says pushing the barrel of a gun against your head. 

"Helmeppo!" some Marine guards yell.

You practically hiss at him. "Look go of me, you coward!" You fight against him as he clumsily pins you back against his chest with his free arm. The barrel of the gun grinds against the side of your head and you yell out in pain.

"I said stop!" Helmeppo yells, and finally, you listen not wanting him to accidentally shoot you.

"Luffy," you say feeling yourself get emotional. "I don't wanna be in your way." You feel your heart racing at the thought of being shot, never being able to see your, family, again. You shake your head slightly, feeling the cold barrel of the gun.

_I won't be afraid!_

"I am not afraid to die!" you say not wanting to be a burden. You want to be brave like Luffy, Zoro and even Koby who showed great courage by deciding he will still join the marines after all this. 

You need to get over your fear and use it to drive you like the pirate and the swordsman before you.

Koby, Zoro, and Luffy stare at you. 

Koby lifts himself off the ground and glares at Helmeppo as if he will attack at any moment.

Helmeppo taps the gun against your head and you wince.

Koby takes a step back, but he's still glaring. "I'm not afraid to die either!" he says. "But I won't allow you to kill (y/n)!"

You feel touched by his sudden bravery for you. "Koby," you say.

Luffy laughs capturing your attention. He's smiling right at you. You feel your heart skip a beat. "I know you're not afraid," he says. You've been brave since the moment we met!"

Your eyes water. "Luffy..."

Luffy ready's his right arm using his left for support. "You, bastard son, (y/n)'s not afraid of death, but you sure are!"

Helmeppo starts to tremble as he holds the gun up to your head. 'Hey! You idiot," he yells out arrogantly. "I told you not to move, or I'm gonna shoot this girl!"

"Go ahead and shoot!" you yell. "I'm not afraid!"

You see Koby turn to look at Luffy and he screams. "Luffy! Behind you!"

"I am...the Great Marine Captain," Morgan says in a deep voice while looming over Luffy. His Axe arm is raised, and ready to strike Luffy dead where he stands. 

"Gomu, Gomu," says Luffy smiling. 

You notice Zoro bite down onto one of his sword's handle as Luffy shouts. "Pistol!" 

"Daddy!" Helmeppo screams as Luffy's fist stretches out at lighting speed to punch him in the face. Helmeppo hits the ground and slides a few feet away. His face takes some of the impact as he whimpers.

"Nice," Luffy says snapping his arm back into place. He doesn't notice a murderous Captain Morgan behind him swinging for his head. 

You scream as Morgan goes in for the kill, but he stops suddenly. His eyes glaze over and he falls backward.

You can't believe it! Zoro appears from behind Captain Morgan with his swords sliding ahead of the Captain's falling body by a few centimeters. His swords are bloody from slicing up the Captain's back.

Wow, he's quick on his feet!" you say aloud. "Captain Morgan didn't even know what hit him!"

Zoro cranes his neck cooly behind him to look at Luffy. "Leave it to me, Captain!"

"Kyaaaa!" you hear yourself fangirling internally.

On the outside, you just smile at them. "You did it!" you say. "You both saved us!"

The guards are shocked. "The captain... lost," says one of them. "Captain Morgan has been defeated!"

They stare at you all in disbelief and subtle admiration.

"If you still want to arrest us," says Zoro. "Come and get us."

The guards stare around and at each other before bursting into cheers. "We are free!" one guard yells. 

"We are out of Morgan's control!" another says crying. 

"Long live the marines!" they all shout.

"What's going on?" asks Luffy. "They seem very happy that Morgan was defeated?!"

Koby smiles. "Everyone hated Morgan! They were all just prisoners to his every word. He was too powerful to disobey so they had no choice!"

Zoro collapses onto the ground grabbing your attention. You waste no time, rushing over to him.

"Zoro!" Luffy and Koby yell in unison. 

You check Zoro for wounds, running your small hands over his chest. You feel the outline of his hard stomach, abs formed smoothly underneath, and know he must work out often. 

"Is he alright?" Luffy asks.

"He doesn't seem to be wounded," you say.

Suddenly Zoro's stomach growls catching you all by surprise. 

Luffy and Koby laugh as you sigh in relief. "Looks like he's just hungry," you say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading. Comment your thoughts below and add this story to your library for more updates!


	8. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: Helmeppo takes you hostage and holds a gun to your head. Koby is inspired by your fearlessness in the situation. Luffy and Zoro defeat Captain Morgan and his son, saving your life and the day. You all find out the town has been under Captain Morgan's control unwillingly. Zoro faints reminding you all he hasn't eaten in days. Read to see what happens next!

"I'm full!" says Zoro leaning back in his chair with a huge grin. "I haven't eaten in nine days, almost starved to death!"

"Then it would have been impossible for you to last a month," says Luffy stuffing his mouth with food. 

Zoro watches Luffy stuff his face in wonder. "You're so scrawny," says Zoro. How come you can still eat more than me!?"

You are all sitting around a brown wooden table inside Rika's home eating a meal her mom has prepared for you all.

Luffy has over a dozen plates in front of him while Zoro has three.

You and Koby are content with one plate of food. You both just sit and watch Luffy and Zoro gobble up their food like there is no tomorrow in disgust.

You scold Luffy and Zoro for being such a nasty sight, but Luffy won’t stop stuffing his face.

To escape having to watch him eat you offer to help Rika's mom wash the dishes in the kitchen a few feet away. Their home is small with two closed bedrooms. 

Rika watches Luffy and Zoro laughing.

"Sorry," says Koby. "Even though I didn't eat much, Luffy and Zoro ate so much!"

"Oh, don't worry," says Rika's mom smiling. "Keep eating you all saved our town, and it’s the least I can do for being so rude earlier."

You shake your head. "Its fine you all were just scared,” you say. “You didn't know us, and it looked like we were causing trouble!"

“That right!” Luffy agrees with a mouth full of meat.

You shoot a glare his way but Luffy’s too busy stuffing his face to notice.

"Hey mister," Rika says walking over to Luffy. "You're so strong!"

Luffy laughs. "Yeah, I'm strong, and I'll keep getting stronger from here on out!"

"Oh yeah," says Zoro. "What are your next plans?"

You pause in the middle of drying one of the dishes Rika's mom hands to you and turn around to look at Luffy.

He stands up, placing his hands on the table. "I am going to head for the Grand Line!"

Koby’s jaw drops. "What?!" he yells. "You're saying crazy things again! Just you three! How can you enter the grand line?!"

Before the events of Captain Alvida and Morgan you would have interrupted Koby and told him you would never become a pirate, but it feels strange to say that now.

You don't want to think about leaving Luffy, at least not yet. Not until Luffy fulfills his promise and helps you find your family.

"Don't you understand?" asks Koby. "The world's strongest pirates all gather there on the Grand Line!"

Zoro smirks. "You're going for One Piece...guess it won't hurt to head in that direction!"

You giggle and nod in agreement. "It’s a plan!" you say. "I may not travel with you to the Grand Line but I'm damn sure not leaving until Luffy fulfills his promise to help me find my family!"

Luffy grins. "Sounds good!"

Koby starts to freak out. "Zoro, (y/n)!" he says. "You guys are agreeing with him! It's rubbish!!"

"What are you so worried about?" asks Zoro. "It's not like you are coming with us."

Koby slams his hands on the table startling Rika, you, and her mom. "Even though I'm not going..." he says. "I will still worry! Can't I? Can't I still worry about you guys?"

Zoro looks away uncomfortably.

Koby frowns. "Luffy even though we just met...I--"

Luffy cuts Koby off. "But we are friends!" he says smiling. "Yep even though we have to part. We'll always be friends!"

Koby looks like he's about to cry, but he smiles instead. "I never had friends growing up. Every time I would be picked on...no one would ever stand up for me."

You all stare at Koby in silence. Luffy sits back down in his chair and takes a bite of ham while listening.

"But the three of you," says Koby. "Taught me to live by my dream!"

"That's why we're heading to the Grand Line," says Luffy.

"Yea!" Zoro nods.

Koby rubs the back of his head. "Hmm, I guess that's true."

He contemplates their words before shaking his head. "No, no I won't change how I feel! You are all being too reckless!!"

You roll your eyes. "You're being ridiculous, Koby." 

Zoro taps Koby on the head with the helm of his sword. "First of all, you'd better worry about yourself!"

"Huh, why?" asks Koby.

"Even though you were just doing chores on a pirate ship before this. You are still a small pirate," says Zoro. "Don't underestimate the marine’s ability to gather information. If they know your past, they won't let you join for sure."

**"Excuse me!"**

The front door to Rika's home swings open and a group of Marines stand outside. One marine guard walks forward as you all stare in shock. "We are wondering," said the marine guard. "Are you really pirates?"

Luffy nods. "Yes, and I just found my first crew member, and we're helping this girl," he says nodding towards you.

The marine guard has freshly shaven black hair and a goatee to match. He grabs the rim of his marine hat. "Even though you are pirates, in reality, you saved our town and base. For that we are grateful. But since you are pirates... as marines we cannot allow you to stay here any longer."

You notice a crowd forming outside around the marines. The townsfolk are eavesdropping on the discussion. 

"Please leave this place immediately," says the marine guard. "As for the events that occurred here, we will be reporting it to the headquarters."

"Hey! Marines," someone from the crowd shouts. "What kind of bullshit are you saying?!"

A woman wearing a pink dress steps forward. "Are you kidding me? Or have you all gone nuts!" she asks. "They are this town's saviors!"

Luffy stands. "Hmm. Well, I guess that it. Let's go!" he says glancing from you to Zoro. 

Zoro doesn't respond. 

"Luffy," says Koby. "Are you really leaving, friend?"

Zoro and Luffy walk past Koby in unison, without even a glance in his direction.

You immediately follow behind them, casting an apologetic look to Koby. You see the hurt in his eyes as he stares at the now empty chairs in front of the dinner table.

"Aren't you with their group?" the marine guard asks Koby.

"Eh! I...," says Koby. "I...I'm not. I'm not with them!!" he forces himself to say.

Luffy smiles as you all leave Rika's house.

"Please hold on," the marine guard calls after you.

He looks at Luffy. "Is this boy telling the truth," he asks. "Is he really not a part of your group?"

Luffy takes a moment to answer before pointing at Koby. "I know what this guy use to do."

Koby's eyes widen. "Luffy, what are you saying?"

Luffy squats and imitates a fat person walking. "I can't remember where but, but Koby use to be with this faaatttt female pirate. I think her name was Alvida."

"Stop..." Koby says.

The marine guard watches in silence. 

"She is a fat and ugly female pirate," says Luffy poking his finger against Koby's forehead. "This guy spent two years on there..."

"Shut up!" yells Koby punching Luffy directly in the face. Luffy bends back slightly before smiling arrogantly. Koby looks like he can't believe he hit someone.

Zoro smirks as Luffy straightens up and sends a fast punch back at Koby. His fist connects with Koby's cheek, knocking him back a little and causing blood to drip from his nose.

Koby screams in pain as Luffy continues to throw punches his way. 

"Damn you!" says Luffy. "You deserve a beat down!"

Hey Luffy!" you scream. "That's enough! You've taught him a lesson now stop it!"

Koby falls backwards onto the ground groaning in pain.

The marine guard gasps. "Both of you stop it! I won't allow this town anymore fights!" he yells.

Zoro walks over and grabs Luffy by the back of his red vest. "Stop it!" he says. "He's had it."

Koby lays unresponsive on the ground.

The marine guard points at Luffy angrily. "I know he isn't your friend!" he says. "Please leave this town immediately!!"

You all start walking away from the house. You notice tears streaming down Koby's face as you all leave, and he continues to lay on the ground. _He's smiling._

You, Luffy, and Zoro proceed to walk through the town as the townsfolks wave at you.

Zoro teases a nearby marine officer as Luffy walks straight ahead with a smile plastered on his face. 

"Come on," Zoro says to a marine. "Didn’t you want to arrest me?!"

The marine backs away from Zoro slowly as you elbow him.

"Ow!" he yells glaring at you.

"That wasn't very nice," you say.

"Why should I be nice?" he asks you.

"Because we saved this place," you say. "Let's leave on a positive note."

He rolls his eyes. "But they're kicking us out! What's nice about it."

You elbow Zoro again and he swears loudly as Luffy laughs.

You all walk back to the town's entrance and stand around. 

"Now what?" asks Zoro.

Before Luffy can respond someone taps you on your shoulder. You all turn to see an old man in a dark green tank top and black knee-length shorts. He has a cane in his hand and a gold watch on his arm.

Your eyes sparkle. _Real Gold._

He smiles at you and looks at his watch. "Oh, this. Just something I brought on a whim. I might not look it, but I live on the other side of town. Its where the villagers with wealth reside," the old man says. "I came over here after I heard what happen. I was shocked to hear about a pirate crew with a straw-hat leader take down Captain Morgan. I couldn't believe it, so I rushed over!"

"It was nothing," says Luffy bowing awkwardly towards the man. You and Zoro follow his lead. 

"Oh, I'm just an old man," he says. I'm not even wise just rich."

He holds out a velvet red pouch and drops it into your hands. You stare up at him after looking into the pouch. "This is money," you say. "It's a pouch full of gold coins! We can't take this!" you try to put the pouch back into his hands.

The old man retracts his hands and waves a boney finger in front of him as if to say, _no you keep it!_

"And why not?!" asks Zoro looking at you. 

"We saved you, Zoro and by saving you we helped the townspeople!" you say. "It's not like we knew they were being held captive."

The man waves a hand in front of him. "No, I insist! I have plenty more where that came from!" Before you can respond he turns and wobbles away on his cane. 

You stare at Luffy and Zoro. "Does either of you want to hold onto this?" you ask holding up the pouch.

"Nah I'm good!" says Luffy. "You can be the treasurer."

Zoro nods. "Why not?"

You smile and place the red pouch in one of the poorly sewn pockets on your dress. "Let's get out of here and find somewhere to go shopping!" you say jumping and down with joy. The coins jingle in your pocket like a song you've never heard before. 

Luffy laughs. "And don't forget the food! We need to find someplace with lots of meat!"

"We just ate!" you yell.

Zoro rolls his eyes. "We need to find a bed," he says as you all make your way down to the docking ports.

Luffy starts untying a thick piece of rope from one of the docking port poles, connected to the medium-sized rowboat you all arrived in earlier.

"That was a nice act earlier!" Zoro says watching Luffy. "This way even though Koby's been a pirate before, It, won’t be such a big deal!"

"I believe Koby will become stronger and more independent in the future!" says Luffy.

You laugh. "He was such a scardey cat earlier. Now Koby's ready to fight with the marines."

You pretend to wipe a non-existent tear from your eye. "They grow up so fast," you say as Luffy laughs.

Zoro smiles. "I guess it’s time to go, or else there's no telling what will happen," he says. "Not leaving anything behind, that's what pirates are about!"

You and Luffy laugh. "Hahaha! That's what I'm saying!" says Luffy getting the rowboat free.

Luffy helps you onto the boat. You tap your pocket to make sure you still have the red velvet bag full of gold coins when a familiar voice rings out.

"Lu...Luffy!!" Koby screams standing behind you all a few feet away. He's out of breath and staring intensely at Luffy. He puts his right arm up to salute like a real marine. "Thank you very much!" he yells. "I will never forget you for the rest of my life!"

Zoro smirks. "I've never seen a marine salute a pirate."

Luffy beams. "Koby!" he says raising his hand to wave. "We'll meet again someday!"

Zoro gets on the boat as Luffy says his goodbyes.

You're shocked when the marines walk up behind Koby and salute. "Group salute!" the marine guard from earlier commands.

Koby's eyes widen before a smile creeps across his face.

Luffy joins you and Zoro on the boat standing to wave with both of his hands as you three sail away. Zoro sits on the ledge of the rowboat looking out at the vast blue ocean. You sit near him and wave goodbye to Koby and the surrounding marines. Some of the townsfolk join in cheering and waving you off.

You hear the lead marine guard yell towards his fellow men. "We just saluted pirates," he screams. "We have violated marines codes! So, the punishment is no food for a week!"

"Yes sir!" the marines yell.

You see Koby standing proudly amongst the other soldiers.

The boat you’re on sails further out into the ocean and you no longer hear them talking.

Luffy plops down onto the floor a few inches away from you with his arms still raised triumphantly. "Yahoo we're off!"

Zoro also slides off the boat's ledge and onto the floor beside you grinning.

"Grand Line!" Luffy yells. "Here we come!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter, Nami enters! Will you two girls get along?! Why does this redhead rub you the wrong way, and is she someone Luffy can trust to join his crew? You are not feeling it! Comment and add this story to your library for faster updates! :)


	9. Nami Enters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You all eat at Rika's house and talk about your plans to leave. Luffy wants to go straight for the Grand Line. Koby thinks it’s a bad idea. The marines show up and ask you all to leave because you're pirates. When leaving town an old man gives you a pouch filled with gold coins for saving the town. Luffy and Koby say goodbye and your adventure continues.

_The Legendary Pirate Gold D. Rogers is the only legendary pirate King. He left behind a huge treasure known as One Piece after his death. Everyone in the world is searching for the location of this vast wealth. You can say this is one of the most dangerous periods in the history of the Seven Seas._

Your eyes flutter open and you yawn remembering the words of your father about the legendary One Piece. Back then you thought Gold D Rogers was nothing more than a criminal who finally met his end, but now you found yourself feeling intrigued.

Luffy is searching for One Piece and he is the nicest boy you've ever met. You don't want One Piece to just be a rumor turned legend. You want Luffy to win and find his treasure.

You sit up and look around at the ocean surrounding the medium-sized rowboat you're on.

Zoro sits across from you, but his attention is on Luffy.

You have all been at sea for 2 days now, the wind pushing the boat forward with no destination in sight.

"Ugh...I'm so hungry!" says Luffy.

Zoro frowns. "It's weird that you have absolutely no navigation skills," says Zoro to Luffy. 

"Why?" asks Luffy. "I've always just been wandering!"

You rub the sleepiness from your eyes and yawn for the second time since waking up. 

Zoro glances over and you. "I see you're finally awake to join us."

You try to ignore the sarcasm oozing from his words. "How long was I asleep?" you ask.

"At least an hour," says Zoro nonchalantly. "Maybe two."

Luffy looks at Zoro. "You're like me too, Zoro," he says. "You wander from place to place just like me, but you were also capturing wanted pirates for rewards."

"I don't remember me saying that I live completely from rewards," Zoro says leaning against the rim of the boat looking rather bored. "I was searching for a man, that's why I set sail to sea. But now I can't find my way home. I had no choice but to start hunting pirates for a living, just to get a little bit of money for my living expenses..."

"Oh," says Luffy. "So, you're lost?"

"Shut up!" yells Zoro giving Luffy a death stare.

You laugh. "Are you bad with directions?" you ask Zoro.

He glares at you. "Do you wanna die?!"

You shrug. "I'm not afraid of death."

Luffy chuckles as Zoro rolls his eyes. 

"I know my way around," Zoro says. "It's just... geez. I've never heard of pirates who don't know how to navigate! How do you expect us to go to the Grand Line like this?"

You find yourself agreeing with Zoro. "He's got a point," you say to Luffy. "You should hurry and find crewmates who know how to navigate!"

Luffy gasps. "Your right! And we need someone who knows how to cook, and someone for singing--"

"Idiot!" Zoro yells. "What are you going on about!"

You start laughing until your stomach hurts. "Luffy's hilarious!" you say. "He's always thinking of his stomach, even in a time like this."

"More like stupid!" Zoro says.

Zoro and Luffy look at each other and then fall backwards onto the boat's floor, causing it to shake. Their stomachs growl in unison. "So hungry...." they say.

You frown. 

When you all left the Marine Base, you were all really unprepared. No one grabbed a map or snacks for the trip. For all any of you knew, you were all just drifting.

You frown. You were also starting to feel weak. You all needed to get to land soon. You shudder, not wanting to spend another day closing your eyes whenever Zoro and Luffy needed to pee off the side of the boat.

You hated most of all having to scream at Zoro to look away instead of closing his eyes when you had to pee.

"You've got nothing I wanna see," Zoro had said closing his eyes pretending to sleep.

You were furious and refused to relieve yourself if he did not face away from you like Luffy. Just thinking about it made your blood boil.

If this is was what having a brother is like, you are happy to have been an only child.

"Uhhhh" you groan. "This sucks!"

You want to reach land asap!

You watch Luffy sit up on one of his elbows and point towards the sky. "Oh! A bird! Looks tasty..."

Neither you nor Zoro respond. 

Luffy jumps up. "Let's eat that bird, you guys!"

Zoro gives Luffy the side-eye. "And how are we going to eat it?!"

"I'll go get it! Watch my specialty!!" Luffy stretches his arms up to the top of the wood mass holding the Mainsail flag. "Gomu Gomu..!"

Zoro looks disturbed sitting up to get a better look.

You stand up causing the boat to rock violently. Luffy steadies his feet, and you fall forward. You let out a surprised gasp, and grab Luffy by his shoulders from behind.

"Rocket!!" Luffy suddenly yells. You scream as you both go flying in the air towards the big black hawk.

"I can't believe he thought of that," says Zoro. He notices you’re not there and looks stunned "Huh?! (Y/n) was sent flying with Luffy!?"

Your screams fill the air as your hands slip from Luffy's shoulder. You grab his legs before you fall past him and cling on for dear life.

Luffy comes to a stop mid-air, and when you look up his head is trapped between the Hawk's mouth. There is a moment of silence before all three of you scream in unison as the bird begins to fly away.

"You idiot!!" Zoro screams. 

The bird starts to fly away faster, putting some space between you and Zoro. 

"Help!!" you and Luffy scream. 

"What the heck are you two doing?!" Zoro yells grabbing the rowers to paddle the boat after you two. 

"It’s no use!" you say watching Zoro and the rowboat get smaller and smaller. Soon you and Luffy can no longer see Zoro. 

"We lost him," you say in disbelief. You look up at Luffy with worried eyes.

"Stupid bird," he mumbles. "I'm gonna eat you!"

The black Hawk continues to fly carrying Luffy in its mouth. You hang from Luffy's legs and try not to doze off. You've lost track of time. Your eyes widen when the bird flies over an island with marble roads and colorful houses. There is a glistening fountain in the center of the town shooting blue water up into the air to splash back down into the fountain. 

You gasp. "It's beautiful."

You hear Luffy snoring and pitch his leg. He wakes up with a jolt and notices the town. "It’s an island!" he says. "Whoa, so many houses! But it looks empty."

"Something's not right," you say. "It can't be uninhabited, then who built everything? We need to find a way to get down there!" you yell up to Luffy. 

He nods. "But how are--"

Luffy's words are cut off by an explosion.

You scream when something blasts the bird, and you both fall from the sky. Luffy immediately stretches his arms out and pulls you into a hug. You cling to him for dear life screaming the whole way down.

Luffy flips over when you are near the ground, landing on his feet just when his legs hit the marble street. He stumbles backwards as you fall out of his arms, only to end up falling forward on top of you.

"Ahhhh!" you scream still traumatized by the whole thing. 

"What the?!" you hear a women yell.

You cough realizing there's a cloud of smoke surrounding you and Luffy. He hit the ground hard, and cracks are forming on the ground where he landed, creating a foggy dust storm.

You see the outline of a few people, but you can't focus. You look up to see Luffy's body pressed against yours. His head is turned pressing the left side of his face against your shoulder. 

"So close," you say blushing. You can feel the heat from Luffy's body. He turns his head to look at you and his eyes widen noticing how close his face is to yours. You try not to let your thoughts drift, but they do.

_What if Luffy kissed you?_

His lips are right there in front of you. It isn't like you want him too, but he is closer to your lips than any boy has come before.

You refused to count the perverted chief from your old village. The fifty-one-year-old man who tried to steal a kiss from you so many times before. 

You would often run away, refusing to kiss him until your arranged marriage. With the chief, kissing seemed disgusting, but with Luffy's lips just a few inches away from your own, you find yourself contemplating.

You shake your head at the embarrassing thought and feel Luffy shift on top of you and start to lift himself up. "Why did they shoot us with a cannon," he says standing up. "Damn it..."

He reaches a handout to help you up and you accept.

The fog caused by Luffy's fall finally clears and you both realize you're standing in front of three men, and a woman with bright orange hair sitting on the ground in shock.

"Wheeww!" Luffy says. "We finally landed (y/n)!"

You stare around trying to judge the strange people in front of you.

The three men look stunned. "Those people who were shot from the sky are still alive!" they yell.

You see the orange-haired woman perk up like she has just had the most clever idea ever. You feel a sinking feeling in your gut. 

"Oh, boss you're finally here! I've been waiting for you to save me!" the girl says and takes off running. "I'll leave everything to you guys!"

"Ah! she ran off!" one of the men yell. 

Another man wearing a red shirt smirks as they start to surround you and Luffy. "We don't have to chase after that girl anymore."

You get closer to Luffy, your back pressing against his as the men draw close. "Her boss is still here." says the man wearing a yellow shirt that matched his blonde hair.

"Thats true," says the man wearing a black and white scarf with matching pants. "We have these guys and apparently they work with that girl."

Luffy looks confused when suddenly the man wearing a red shirt punches him in the face. Luffy's neck snaps loudly to the side, his straw hat flying off his head.

"That map was Captain Buggy's treasure!" the man yells.

"Luffy!" you yell.

Before the man and his friends can even laugh Luffy's fist make a direct hit with the man's nose. The man wearing a red shirt flies backwards hitting the ground hard and sliding a few feet away.

His accomplices barely have time to dodge his oncoming body before it flies past them. 

You notice Luffy's straw hat flutter into his hands from the sky. He has a serious look in his eyes. "Don't you dare mess up my hat!!" says Luffy.

The man's two friends ready their swords and glare at Luffy. 

"Damn you," the man wearing a yellow shirt says.

They charge towards Luffy as he readies his fist. The moment they reach him he hits both men with a left hook. Both men spin from the punch before falling onto the ground unconscious.

"Wow!" says a woman's voice from behind Luffy.

You both turn to see the orange head woman sitting on the roof of one of the colorful houses "You are really strong," she says swinging her legs back and forth. She’s smiling with a cunning expression. You beat those guys up with swords barehanded!"

You walk over to Luffy while glaring at the woman. "You lied to them, that's why they attacked us!" you say in disgust. 

She smirks. "I wasn't talking to you," she says. "I was talking to the strong one. Your input isn't called for, mmkay!"

You find yourself blushing from anger. You can't think of a comeback and turn away from her gaze.

"Who are you anyway?" Luffy asks.

"I am a thief who steals treasure from pirates!" she says. "My name is Nami! Want to be partners?"

"Luffy doesn't want to be partners with a woman like you! You are nothing but trouble!" you yell gathering the courage to meet her eyes again before she turns away annoyed.

Nami stares at Luffy. "I think your girlfriend's jealous," she says. "I'm so cute she feels threatened by me!" She winks at Luffy and sticks her tongue out playfully.

You want to vomit. "You wish I felt threatened by you!" you yell.

You feel yourself starting to shake from anger when Luffy places his hand on your shoulder. "(Y/n), you don't have to worry."

You instantly calm down and feel embarrassed.

"You said you only steal treasure from pirates?" asks Luffy turning his attention back to Nami.

She's staring at you with an innocent expression.

You feel the urge to punch her with the coy look she gives you.

Nami turns her gaze towards Luffy slowly and smirks. "Yeah! I'm a girl who steals from pirates," she says laughing cutely. 

You roll your eyes at her antics as she twirls a piece of her orange hair around her finger. 

"Let's team up!" Nami says winking at Luffy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! I had to choose who the reader should end up separated with Luffy or Zoro. Plot-wise it made more sense for the reader to get lost with Luffy. There will be more Zoro and Reader in the next arc. :p It would also mean a lot to me if you could take a second to comment and tell me what you think of the story so far. :) Also add this story to your library for faster updates! xoxo


	10. Evil Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You and Luffy get separated from Zoro after Luffy tries to attack a bird in the sky. You and Luffy are flown to an island where you meet a woman named Nami. You find her untrustworthy and try to keep her away from Luffy.

"Yeah, I'm a thief who steals from pirates!" says Nami smiling. "If we team up, we can get a whole lot of money!" she says to Luffy. She is sitting on top of a roof above the two of you.

Luffy stares up at Nami for a moment before turning to walk away. "No way! I'm not interested in teaming up with you," says Luffy. "Come on (Y/n) let's go look for Zoro!"

You begin to follow after Luffy but stop to give Nami a '_you lose'_ look.

"Hang on!" Nami says jumping onto a smaller roof and then on to the ground. She is careful not to fall onto the three men Luffy knocked out earlier.

"So, what's with that hat?" Nami says running over to the two of you.

She's wearing an orange mini skirt and a white shirt with blue stripes around the chest area.

You roll your eyes when Nami points to Luffy's straw hat. "When you saw they nearly damaged it you got so mad! Is it expensive?" she asks.

"This is my treasure!" says Luffy touching his hat proudly.

You stare at the hat and wonder why it's so important to Luffy. You stop the urge to ask him, not wanting Nami to hear the story behind it. She is clearly a thief and should not be trusted.

"Hyaa..treasure!" Nami yells. "I wonder if there are any jewels inside your hat."

All three of you begin to walk down the marble road.

"Ah!" Nami says. "Maybe you have a treasure map inside it."

"Luffy don't tell her anything else about you!" you say. "She's clearly up to no good, just trying to find out what she can steal from us."

Nami laughs. "Why don't you butt out!" she says. "Luffy's a man he can make his own decisions!"

You stop and glare at her. "Luffy's my friend and because I know him better than you. I know that he dislikes people like you the most!" you say.

Nami flinches at your words. "Geez lighten up!" she says. "I get it. I was a bit rude earlier, but boy can you hold a grudge."

"It happened less than five minutes ago!" you yell.

Nami giggles. "Oh, forget the past! I have somewhere we can go to hide."

"Okay!" Luffy says. "Does this place have food!"

"Noo!" you yell. "It might be another trap!"

Luffy nods. "Yeah, (Y/n)'s right! Why should we trust you, Nami?"

Nami looks annoyed by your continuous interference into her plans. "Look," she says with a sigh. "It's not a trick. Those guys were really after me and I need to hide. They think you guys are helping me so why shouldn't we hide together?"

Luffy looks over at you and you roll your eyes. "Fine," you say. "But only because we don't have a clue where we are!"

"Eh, you got separated from your crew...?" Nami asks. 

You three were inside a one-bedroom home, with a small kitchen area and bathroom. Nami said there were many houses spread throughout the island, but she led you and Luffy to this specific house because it was alienated from the main roads.

This home, in particular, was furnished and there was a half-prepared meal out on the counter. A fireplace was burning in front of the wooden table you and Luffy sat in front of, giving the area a comfortable atmosphere.

Luffy sat across the table from you on the opposite side. Nami, however, sat on the ledge of the table, directly in between you and Luffy. She was staring at Luffy a little too innocently for your liking. 

"How many people are in your crew?" Nami asks.

"Only one," Luffy says. 

Nami turns to look at you. 

"(Y/n)'s my friend," Luffy continues. "We are traveling together because of a promise I made to her."

Nami nods. "So, she won't be around for long," she says contemplating.

You frown. "I'll be around long enough to ensure that you won't be!" you say smiling sarcastically.

Nami makes a face like she's just smelled something awful before quickly fixing her appearance. "You’re just a ball of sunshine!" she says copying your smile.

Luffy looks at you and then Nami, completely unaware of the tension between you two. "Is this your house?" he asks Nami.

She shakes her head. "No, I don't even know whose house this is," she says. "Everyone in this village is in a hiding shelter outside of this town. They are trying to avoid conflict with the Buggy Pirate Fleet."

"Hmm is he that scary?" asks Luffy. "That pirate called Nami?"

"I am Nami!" she yells. "The pirate is Buggy!! Don't switch the names!"

You laugh at her exasperated expression.

"About Buggy..." she says seriously. "He's a famous pirate, known for his love of canons. When a bunch of kids from a village he once stayed at made fun of his nose, he used a canon to wipe out the whole village. And it's said that he's got a really strange power."

"But why isn't there anyone in this village?” asks Luffy.

"I just said they're avoiding conflict!" Nami yells. "What have you been listening to this entire time?!"

You cross your arms in front of you and lean back in your chair. "Aha! So, you are stealing from these empty houses!"

Luffy nods. "That's right! Now that Buggy has kidnapped all the townsfolk Nami can steal their things without anyone to stop her!"

"That's despicable!" yells Nami. "Didn't I just tell you guys I only steal from pirates?! And I just said the villagers are hiding outside of town! Who said Buggy kidnapped them! Can you listen to anything?!"

"Or that's what you want us to believe!" you yell ignoring her previous statement.

Luffy laughs. "The thief lies!"

Nami places a hand on her forehead likes she’s experiencing a migraine. "You people are exhausting to be around," she says. "Please don't compare me to these common house robbers. It's so tiring talking to the both of you!"

Luffy laughs. "Calm Down, Nami we're just goofing."

Nami sighs heavily. "My goal is to get a hundred million beli!" she says. "Then I'm going to buy a certain village!"

"Buy a village?" you say. "A hundred million beli is a lot, so you have to steal from a lot of pirate ships."

"I've got a plan for all that!" says Nami smiling arrogantly as she pulls something out from her orange mini skirt's pocket. "Look, this is the Grand Line map I just stole!" she says. "I'm going to steal some treasure from this Buggy guy...then I'm going to the Grand Line. And after that I'm going to steal from even greater pirates who carry much more treasure!!"

She turns to stare at Luffy, waiting for his reaction. "Waddya think?" she asks. "Don't you wanna team up and earn a bunch of money? You look strong, I could use your power, and then you'll get your share too. The both of you!" she says looking your way. 

You don't respond.

"By any chance," says Luffy. "Do you know how to navigate?"

Nami's eyes widen as she hops off the ledge of the table. "Yeah, of course, I know!" she says holding up a fist. "Don't look down on me! My navigational skills...well there aren't a lot of people who know more about it than I do. Especially since I love the sea."

"I see!" says Luffy throwing his hands into the air to cheer. "Yeah, that's great! We're also on our way to the Grand Line!"

Nami smiles. "Really?"

"Yeah! Hey, you come join my crew as a navigator!" Luffy says. "Become a member of our pirate crew!"

You hang your head in defeat, knowing when to give credit where its due. You guys need a navigator, without one you, Luffy, and Zoro would die at sea. You expect Nami to flaunt her skills of navigation in your face in an attempt to mock you, but she's quiet for a short moment. 

Nami freezes before sending a death glare Luffy's way. "...No way!"

Luffy looks confused. 

"Oh...you’re a pirate," Nami says extending her arms out in front of her to say _no way_. "Forget it! We didn't have this conversation! I don't want to team up with you guys!"

Nami points at Luffy. "Ahh! I get it!" she says with a cocky tone. "So, you are going to use whatever map you have inside that treasure hat of yours to find Buggy's treasure."

"I told you," says Luffy touching his hat. "This isn't a treasure map hat!"

"Yeah right!" says Nami sitting back on the ledge of the table. "Then what is it? Why do you call that stupid rag of a hat your treasure?"

Luffy smiles and takes off his hat proudly. "I got this hat ages ago from a friend. It's my precious treasure," he says. "I swore myself to gather up a crew and become a pirate to the person who gave me this hat."

You and Nami stare at Luffy in silence as he puts his hat back on. 

"Hmph! Pirates this pirate that," Nami says getting up to stand. "People these days!"

Nami slams her hands down on top of the table causing you to jump. "The things I hate most in this world are...Pirates!! But I love money and tangerines." Nami looks at Luffy likes she's contemplating what she should do next.

You stand. "I'm not a pirate," you say. "I'm traveling with Luffy because some bad pirates massacred my old village. I was kidnapped and separated from my family. Luffy saved me. He's a pirate and he saved me from a life of slavery on _that_ woman's pirate ship!"

Nami frowns. "So, what, one pirate does a good deed. What about the other ones?! The ones who killed all those people in your village!" she says looking pained. "Do we just forget about all the pain they spread because of one good pirate?"

You and Nami stare at each other in a battle of the will’s showdown.

She's not changing her mind about pirates, and you aren't changing your mind about Luffy.

"Aww come on!" says Luffy. "Become our navigator!"

"I already said no!" Nami screams. Her expression of anger changes quickly and she smiles. "Well it looks like the two of you are in a fix, so just under one condition I'll consider being your navigator."

Luffy smiles. "Really? Yeah, I guess we are kinda screwed. (Y/n)", and I have no idea where we’re at.”

You nod while giving Nami the side-eye. "We are in a predicament," you say looking at Nami. "And by your snake-like behavior, I get the feeling you won't help us out of here for free."

Nami giggles. "You know me so well, (Y/n)."

You fight the urge to gag. 

Nami holds a finger up. "Go with me to where Buggy is. That's all I want you two to do."

Luffy looks your way, and you sigh in annoyance before nodding.

Luffy jumps up with a happy expression on his face. "Okay, okay, let's go!" he says. "Where's Buggy anyways?"

You follow after Luffy and Nami rushes after you two. "Ahh...hang on a second!" she says. "I've got one more thing to prepare."

Nami looks at you and stares down at your dress. You immediately blush from embarrassment. Not only was the white dress permanently stained a grayish color, it was two sizes too small for you and it was frayed all over. It was more of a potato sack than a dress.

"You can't wear something like that around pirates," she says. "Come on let's see if there are any clothes in this place you can fit."

Before you can respond she tells Luffy to wait at the table and pulls you into a room in the back, shutting the door behind her. She walks over to a closet and looks around it briefly. The room you’re in is small and it only has a bed, closet, and a small window. After a moment Nami pulls a few garments out of the closet. An oversized white shirt and a pale green floral dress.

She hands you the dress and turns to face away. "Pirates are bad people," she says. "You always have to be on guard around them and protect yourself."

"I know that!" you say. "But Luffy isn't like that and neither is Zoro?"

"Who?" Nami asks.

You sigh. "Forget it you'll meet him if you keep your word."

"And why wouldn't I keep my word?" Nami says while you take off your old dress.

"Is there ever honor among thieves?" you ask slipping the pale green floral dress over your head. You frown, it’s a little longer than your other dress but not by much. It shows off your legs like that of a woman, but at least it’s a puffy dress, spreading out amongst your shapely waist.

"Look I get that you're trying to look out for me," you say to Nami. "But with the way you're dressed why should what I'm wearing matter?"

You stare down at her orange miniskirt and tightly fitted white blouse with blue stripes. 

She blushes. "I can dress how I want! I'm old enough to do so!" she says. "I'm a woman!"

She leaves the room and you follow behind her. 

"What's with those ropes?" Luffy asks Nami as the three of you walk through the marble streets, passing a row of colorful houses.

The sun shines brightly in the sky causing the ocean surrounding the small island to glisten. A breeze runs through the town cooling you off after being inside a house with a lit fireplace.

"It’s just ropes," Nami says. "You got a problem. I have it to capture Buggy!"

"That's your plan?" you ask. "To show up and throw a rope at him!"

Nami smiles at you innocently as she leads you and Luffy down the marble streets. "Just at the end of this road," she says.

You and Luffy look to see nothing but fancier houses leading to upper-class shops.

"There's the bar where the pirates are staying," she says pointing to a random house.

You feel a sinking feeling in your gut and open your mouth to warn Luffy when you feel Nami's foot on your back. She kicks you forward onto the ground. You yell out and put your arms out in front of you, scratching up your hands.

"What's your problem?!" you yell turning around on the ground. You see Nami fling one of the ropes out and toss it around Luffy's body. She pulls on the rope and it tightens around Luffy causing his body to fall forward.

"You will soon find out about my plans!" Nami yells. "You stupid pirates!!"

"Hey what are you doing?!" Luffy yells.

You lift yourself off the ground and try to rush towards Nami, but she's quicker. Nami flings the other rope out and around your body, pulling on the rope hard. You feel your breathing stop momentarily as you fall forward.

_Too tight!_

You glare at Nami as she loosens the rope slightly. She flips you and Luffy over onto your stomachs and ties a knot into both ropes. “Try not to take it personal,” Nami says.

You glare at her. “Liar,” you spit.

Nami tightens your rope and you scream.

Luffy starts to struggle realizing Nami’s not kidding. “Hey!” he yells. “Your hurting her, Nami! What do you think you’re doing?! ”

Nami forces you stand roughly as Luffy watches with angry eyes.

"She's betraying us," you say to Luffy. "I knew she couldn't be trusted!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated and keeps me motivated to continue writing! :) Also add this story to your library for more updates! Thanks for supporting.


	11. Buggy the Clown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: Nami leads you and Luffy to an abandoned house where she tells you about a pirate named Buggy, who has caused all the townfolks to flee. Luffy asks Nami to be his navigator and she agrees before realizing Luffy is a pirate and refuses. Nami says she will only join the Straw Hat Pirates if you and Luffy help her defeat Captain Buggy. On the way there Nami betrays you and Luffy, capturing you both instead! What happens next? Read and find out!

"The stolen map of the Grand Line has been recovered!" a man whose face is covered in clown makeup says. "Furthermore, we've recruited a new crew member and _cabin girl_." His voice deepens as he says the last words and looks behind himself to stare at you.

The men all turned to leer at you as you try to keep a straight face.

Nami has betrayed you and Luffy! 

A few hours ago, she'd tied you both up and dragged you to the man before you dressed in a red and white striped shirt. The shirt was tucked neatly into his tan trousers, but he still found some way to look silly. An orange fur cloak hung loosely from his shoulders and he wore an orange matching hat. His blue hair was pulled into two goofy-looking pigtails that made you want to laugh. 

His name is Buggy the Clown because he wears thick red lipstick around his lips and a big red nose. You notice a cross made of bones painted across the center of his face.

You are all on top of the roof of a blue bar. Buggy's crewmates are partying and drinking booze as they celebrate the capturing of you and Luffy.

You are sitting on your knees in front of Buggy's Captain chair on the left side of the roof.

He liked what he saw when Nami presented you to him and decided to keep you around as his own personal servant.

You refused of course but he'd just told Nami to sit you in front of his chair. Buggy had smirked at you and said he'd work on fixing your attitude later. 

Luffy isn't as lucky. He' been put inside a metal cage that sits in the center of the room around the celebrating pirates. Buggy the Clown stands in front of you, his attention back on his men, too excited to sit. 

"Furthermore, we've recruited a new member!" Buggy yells. "Everything is going our way!! Now drink to your heart's content! Then at the battlefield let us fight well!"

"Ay Yi, Captain!" the men yell in unison. Your eyes widen as you watch the party get crazier. Men begin to drink huge amounts of alcohol and chug their drinks in competition. One man hops on a bar table with a unicycle, and his friend jumps on another bar table dancing on top of a big orange and red ball. The other surrounding pirates break out in dance as they drink and dance some more. The roof is filled with an energetic air, which makes you feel worse.

You look up at the clear sky squinting at the bright sun.

_Great_, you think. _We're going to die on such a beautiful day. _You can't help but wonder about Zoro and where he can be at a time like this. You feel your heart sinking as the party gets crazier. 

_That traitor Nami_, you think. _How can she stoop so low!?_

"Nami! Are you drinking?!" Buggy asks turning to look at Nami who is holding up a pint of beer at a table with a bunch of drunk men.

"Yes, Captain!" Nami yells. "I'm drinking Captain Buggy sir!"

Buggy laughs. "Oi, newcomer! Let's have a drinking contest!" he says to her.

"Okay!" Nami yells. You and Buggy watch as Nami and a fat crew member wearing a black shirt chug down the pints of beer in their hands. 

The other crewmates cheer around them and begin to chant and bang on the tables. "Drink, drink, drink, drink!!"

"Victory!" Nami yells holding up her empty glass as the man beside her faints from alcohol poisoning. 

You notice the sneaky smile Nami tries to hide as she wipes some of the alcohol off her lips.

You look away from her in anger and notice Luffy bite at the metal bars of his cage in frustration. 

Nami walks over to him and begins to talk quietly to him. Because her back is facing you, you can't read her lips. You sigh in disappointment when you suddenly see Buggy the Clown walk over to you.

"What's your name?" he asks. 

You glare at him and don't respond. Buggy grabs your chin. "You're all tied up and you have the nerve to be cheeky?" he says making you look up at him. He glares down at you creepily making you avert your gaze. You feel yourself shiver as he releases your chin roughly. "You need to know your place brat! I _own_ you now! You were my gift from Nami," Buggy says leering at you.

I hate clowns," you finally say in disgust. "They're ugly!"

Buggy frowns. "You dare insult me!" He raises his hand up to slap you and pauses before a smile spreads across his red-painted lips.

He lifts you up off the ground roughly and pushes you, signaling you to walk over to Luffy and Nami who are still talking amongst themselves. He bursts out laughing the moment you two reach them, startling Nami. She jumps at Buggy's sudden laughter like she’s almost been caught doing something she shouldn't be doing. 

"I see you've got yourself a pretty good follower there!" Buggy says to Luffy. "You're her thief of a boss I presume!"

Luffy glares up at Buggy from inside his cage. "What are you talking about?" he says watching in anger as Buggy pushes you forward onto your knees. You cry out in pain as the skin on your knees scrap against the ground of the roof. You notice Nami stiffen like she has to force herself not to offer you help.

Luffy clenches his teeth as he gives Buggy a death stare. 

Buggy meets Luffy's eyes with the same intensity. "I'm done playing around," he says. "I know the truth. Nami betrayed you after all! Even though I got my map back, it's still a terrible crime to steal from me boy!! What should I do with--'

"Oi!" says Luffy cutting him off. "Let us go!"

Buggy smiles. "Of course, I'll let you two go...NOT!" he yells. "You think I'm that stupid?!"

Buggy pulls you up from the ground and you notice that your knees are bleeding. 

Buggy wraps an arm around your shoulders as you tug at your ropes. He throws his free arm in the air and yells. "Boys!! Prepare the Buggy Special Cannon Ball."

He looks over at you, sneering. "And you'll have a front-row seat," he says. "Yahoooooooooo!! Ready the canon now!"

Three men pull a sliver canon forward as everyone watches with excitement.

"No!" you say. 

"Oh, yes!" Captain Buggy yells forcing you to stay within his arm. "Watch closely as your little friend is blown to smithereens! "

"The Buggy Special Cannonball is ready, Captain!" a crewmate wearing a red shirt says.

"Alright, show them!" says Captain Buggy. "Show them its power!!"

The man aims the cannon at a nearby house painted red. He lights the cannon and it fires off, shooting down the red house and the row of houses behind it. A huge explosion rings out as a row of ten houses shatter into pieces.

"It destroyed a row of houses in a single blow," Nami says in disbelief, her face turns a ghastly white.

Your jaw drops.

"The power of my cannon is so great," says Buggy. "This thing can wipe out the whole village in one shot! This and the powers I have gained from the Devil's fruit assure my future success at the Grand Line!!"

You watch as the men set the cannon directly in front of Luffy.

Buggy the Clown uses his free arm to grab Nami's arm and push her forward to stand in front of the cannon and Luffy.

His crew circles around you all in excitement.

"Now shoot the cannon, Nami!" Buggy yells as he continues to hold you tightly around the shoulder. You struggle against him as he laughs. "Swear your loyalty and sincerity unto me, Nami. Show me your desire to rule the world with me! Get rid of your old boss once and for all!"

He tosses Nami a box of matches.

Nami catches them and looks at Luffy who is sitting cross leg with an unreadable expression. 

"Kill that guy?!" Nami says starting to sweat. "Me...?" She smiles cutely and waves her hands in front of her to refuse. "N-no! Captain Buggy! I'm just fine...! First let's drink more sake and forget about that kid!"

Buggy's eyes narrow angrily at Nami. "Kill him."

Nami gulps as Buggy's crew begans to cheer. "Kill him! Don't be a wuss! Finish him off in one go!" they yell. "Shooooot! Shooot! Kill him!"

"Shoot!" Captain Buggy yells laughing. "Shoot!"

"This is your fault!" you say to Nami.

She shakes her head. "I didn't think this would happen..."

"And what did you think would happen?!" you yell. "You lied to us! You're no better than these pirates! Shoot the damn cannon! Prove to them you're just like them!"

Nami stands frozen as the crew continues to shout. "Shooot! Shoot! Kill him now!"

"Why did this have to happen," Nami says trembling. "Even though he's just a kid. You're just a kid (Y/a)..."

Luffy stares at Nami in silence. 

"Nami stop fooling around!" Buggy yells releasing you roughly. You are pushed away from Buggy but catch yourself before you can fall onto the ground. 

"Your hand is shaking," says Luffy staring at Nami. "That's what you get!" he says. "(Y/a)'s right! You got us into this mess for only being half prepared to mess with pirates."

"Prepared?" asks Nami, her voice cracking. "Prepared to take a human life so easily? Is that what it takes to be a pirate?"

"No, it's not," Luffy says seriously.

"Stop waiting around!" Buggy's crew scream in unison.

Luffy grins. "You gotta be prepared Nami, to risk your own life!!"

You smile remembering how Luffy taught you and Koby that you must be willing to die for your dreams.

"Shoot! Shoot!" the men around you all yell growing frustrated.

A man wearing a purple jesters hat snatches the matches from Nami's hand. "Oi, new girl, stop wasting our time!" he says lighting a match. "You just have to put the fire up against the cannon and light it!" The man goes to light the cannon.

Nami gasps and reacts quickly, lifting the side of her orange mini skirt to reveal a small holster on her left thigh. It holds three small orange sticks. Nami swiftly connects the pieces of sticks together making a sturdy staff. She cracks the staff against the man's head, sending him smashing face-first against the ground.

"What the hell?" the men surrounding you all yell. They prepare for a fight and glare at Nami.

Nami tries to calm herself down by taking deep breaths. "Damn it," she says. "What have I done?"

"Nami you idiot!" Buggy yells. "What the hell do you think you're doing!? I actually gave you the honor of lighting the cannon's fuse because you're my crew member!!"

"What, you're saving us now?" Luffy asks.

"Don't be stupid!" Nami yells.

She looks your way. "I only did that because I wasn't thinking!" she says. "...I did it because...I don't ever want to pretend to be one of these disgusting hideous pirates! Pirates stole the life of someone who was precious to me, I hate pirates more than anything!" Nami grinds her teeth together to stop herself from shaking. 

"Ahh so that's why you don't like pirates..." you say.

You hear Luffy scream and turn to see that the cannon was actually lit the whole time! A flame is traveling along the rope that will set the cannon aimed at Luffy off. 

"Luffy!!' you cry out.

"Crap!" Luffy yells biting at the metal bars. "I'm gonna die!" he says through gritted teeth.

The flame travels along the rope fast, almost reaching the cannon trigger.

"You tried to make a fool out of me, you little bitch!" Buggy screams pointing at Nami. "Kill her in the most painful way!"

Buggy's crew lounges at Nami as she uses her orange staff to block them.

"The fire's still burning," Nami says glancing to look at the flame only inches away from the canon.

"I can't die this way!" Luffy shouts.

Nami uses her orange staff to knock the first row of oncoming men away. She twirls the staff expertly in her hands hitting each man in a vital area. She rushes past the men's fallen bodies to grab the rope, enclosing her hands around the flame. She whimpers in pain as her skin sizzles and the smell of burning flesh fills the air.

Luffy stops grinding his teeth on the metal bars.

"Nami..." you say in disbelief. "You saved him." Your eyes widen as you suddenly notice the rest of Buggy's crew rush over to Nami wielding knives.

"Nami behind you!" you scream.

You all barley notice a figure jump through the air and land swiftly on his feet.

You see a flash of green hair as the figure rushes past Nami, two swords in each hand. "How many of you does it take to beat one girl," a familiar voice says knocking allof the men back with the shield of his swords.

Blood spurts from a few of the men's mouths and noses as they fall to the ground.

"Zoro!!" Luffy and you yell in unison and smile. 

"Ahh?" Nami says.

You perk up instantly. "Zoro! It’s really you!" you say.

"Who else would I be?" he says lowering his two swords.

"I see you're as arrogant as always," you say under your breath as he turns to look at Nami who has just collapsed to her knees.

"Did you get hurt?" he asks her.

"I'm okay," she says staring up at Zoro with wide eyes.

"Yes! Thank goodness that you actually found this place!" says Luffy. "Get me out of here quick! And cut (Y/a) loose!"

"You idiots!" Zoro yells looking back and forth between Luffy and you. "Is this your guy's idea of fun!? Getting caught by a bird; carried away and now when I find you both (Y/a)'s tied up and hurt, and you're in a cage, Luffy!! You both are stupid!"

You wince at his words as Luffy grins goofily.

You notice Buggy's crew mumbling amongst themselves while gawking at Zoro. "Hey that guy's Zoro," a man wearing a yellow jumpsuit says. "Is that what they said his name was? Zoro."

"The pirate hunter, Zoro?!" another crewmate says wearing a kangaroo hat. "Why the hell is he talking to that thief?!"

"It's the crew member (Y/n) was telling me about," says Nami wiping the sweat away from her forehead. "Pirate Hunter Zoro...?! What’s going on here?"

You all gasp when you notice Buggy the Clown appear in front of Zoro with his arms crossed. "You are definitely Zoro," he says cockily. "Are you aiming for my head?"

"Nope…not interested," says Zoro not even bothering to look Buggy's way. "I've stopped hunting pirates..."

Buggy pulls out a set of spinning knives in both his hands. "But I have some interest," says Buggy. "If I kill you, my name will become more famous."

Zoro yawns. "If you don't want to die, then just leave me alone."

Buggy's crew starts to cheer again. "Oooooh! Kill him Captain!" they yell. "Send Zoro's head flying off!!"

Buggy licks one of his knives while glaring at Zoro. "If you don't show your true skills now," says Buggy. You'll soon be covered in blood!"

Zoro unsheathes his swords, putting one in his mouth and one in each of his hands. "Fine," he says through clenched teeth.

In the blink of an eye, Zoro slides past Buggy slicing his body into three pieces. Buggy screams as his body falls to pieces on the floor.

"Huh!?" Luffy yells. "That guy was so weak!"

"Oh my god!" you and Nami scream in unison.

Buggy's crewmates start to laugh as an eerie sensation runs through your spine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! What do you think of the story so far? Whose you favorite straw hat at the moment? Also, add this story to your library for faster updates!


	12. Flee...Its A Dog?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: Nami turns you and Luffy in to Buggy the Clown to gain his trust. Buggy decides to make you his pet and blow up Luffy with a cannon. He tells Nami to light the cannon and kill Luffy to prove her loyalty. Nami risks her life to save Luffy. Buggy orders his men to kill Nami, and Zoro shows up to save the day. He slices Buggy up into pieces, but his crewmates laugh making you all feel uneasy. Why are they laughing at their captain's death? Read and find out!

Zoro stands over Buggy's sliced body putting one of his swords back into its sheath.

A cool breeze travels throughout the quiet town making the roof on top of the bar seem just as abandoned as the rest of the town.

You all stare in shock.

"He died really easily," says Zoro through clenched teeth. He still has his sword handle in between his teeth and holds one sword in his hand.

Buggy's crew laugh amongst each other like they all know a secret you guys don't.

You look at Buggy's body, he is lying face down on the ground. His limbs sliced clean off in six different areas. You see his right hand a few inches away from his body, still clutching at the knife in his hand.

You stare at the hand in confusion wondering why its grip doesn’t loosen on the knife now that it is disconnected from Buggy's body.

"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy yells. "Hurry up and get me out of here!"

Nami stares at Zoro with wide eyes. "What's with these pirates?" she asks in disbelief. "Their Captain died but they're laughing?"

"Hey, Nami!" Luffy says. "Could you untie (Y/a)."

Nami snaps out of her trance and rushes over to you. She picks up a stray knife lying on the ground and uses it to cut your ropes.

"This thing won't open without a key," says Zoro walking over to touch the metal cage Luffy was in. "These iron bars won't slice."

Luffy frowns. "I guess that's true."

Buggy's crew mates begin to laugh catching your attention. 

"These guys are freaking me out!" you say to Nami as the rope wrapped around your body falls to the ground.

"What is so funny?" asks Zoro glaring at the men. "Just give us the key! I don't want to fight you guys!"

The men ignore Zoro and continued to laugh. Some of them lean on each under to keep themselves from falling onto the ground with laughter.

You feel yourself blushing on Zoro's behalf. "So rude!" you say. "Are they trying to mock us?!"

"I have a bad feeling about this” Nami says grabbing onto your arm.

"They're pretty weird..." says Luffy.

Zoro jumps and lets out a low shout. His eyes widen as blood begins to spurt from his mouth.

You notice the knife from Buggy's detached hand fly into Zoro’s lower back and come out through his stomach. The small knife peeks out from the hole in Zoro stomach causing him to fall to his knees. He uses the helm of his sword to hold himself up to keep from passing out.

Zoro!!?" you all scream in unison. 

"What's with that flying hand?!" Nami asks.

You try to rush towards Zoro but Nami pulls you back. 

"You can't" she screams. "We don't know what's happening!"

"Let me go!" you say, as Buggy's crewmates howl with laughter.

The flying hand holding onto the knife that stabbed Zoro violently pulls free from his bloody abdomen.

Zoro winces from the pain. 

The hand flies into the air and prepares to fly down and stab Zoro on the head.

"Zoro!!" you scream fearing for the worse.

Zoro rolls a few feet behind him clutching one hand at his wound and grabbing a sword with the other. He readies his own sword and glares at the flying hand.

"The hand!" Nami yells. "The hand is floating in the air!"

"Dammit.," Zoro says wincing from the wound in his abdomen. He leans forward holding onto his side as blood drips from his hand. 

"The Chop Chop fruit!!" Buggy says as his upper body rises into the air behind Zoro.

Your eyes widen when you see the body parts Zoro sliced off Buggy fly into the air, and snap back into place allowing his body to be whole again. His hand that is holding onto the blood-stained knife is the last part of his body to reattach.

Buggy begins to laugh like a maniac along with his crew. 

"Chop Chop! That's the name of the Devil fruit that I ate!" says Buggy the Clown. "No matter how you try to slice me up, you can't because I'm a splitting man!!"

He pulls out his rotating spinning knives and sneers at Zoro.

"Another devil fruit user?!" you say.

Nami's jaw drops. ".... He stuck his body back together!" Nami says. "I thought that Devil’s fruit was just a myth!"

You notice Zoro sweating profusely as he glares at Buggy. He is wounded pretty bad. 

"A splitting man..." Luffy says. "That guy’s a monster!"

For a moment you, and Zoro look at Luffy in stunned silence. 

You frown. "Says the rubber man!"

Luffy looks confused, and before you can respond Buggy chuckles. "I see I've missed your vital body parts...Roronoa Zoro!" he says. "But it's still a pretty serious injury. It was an okay victory!" 

"Dammit!" says Zoro as his body begins to shake from pain. "I actually knew he had eaten some kind of devil fruit but this type of power...I was careless..." 

You notice the frustration on Zoro's face and can't help but sympathize with him.

_Damn, _you think, _if only there was something I could do! _

"Hiiya! The captain's so cool!" one of the crewmen shout from the crowd around you all.

"Kill him off!" another crew member shouts. "Send him off!!"

You feel your stomach knotting up. "We have to do something!" you whisper to Nami. 

"But what?!" she hisses back. "This is a dangerous situation! The situations reversed!"

She leans over you so that you can hear her clearly, if only for a quick moment. "If we stand around here waiting for those two to make it, we'll die. Let's get out of here! These guys are dead!"

You take a step back and glare at her in disgust. "Speak for yourself!" you say. 

“I’m serious!” Nami says. “We can’t beat him!”

“Whatever!” you say bumping past her.

Nami looks shocked. "Y-you'll die for pirates?!" Nami asks. "You’re the one I’m disgusted of!"

You roll your eyes and turn away from her. You see Luffy glaring in Buggy the Clown's direction. It's clear he's worried about Zoro.

His very first crewmate. Zoro could not die this way.

You notice that Luffy is clenching his teeth together before he starts to shake his head. "Stabbing from the back!!" he spits out angrily. "That's dirty as hell! You big nose freak!"

Everyone falls deathly silent as Buggy's crew mates turn pale in the face. "What did he just say!?" they yell in terror.

Buggy's eyes dilate like he's having a seizure. "You..." he breaths out slowly.

"This is bad you say stepping back to be beside Nami. 

"That idiot!" Nami yells grabbing onto your arm in fear. "He could've said anything but that!"

"Who the hell do you think you're calling big nose!" Buggy screams as his right hand shoots out from his arm socket. The hand holding the knife flies towards Luffy who is still sitting cross leg inside of the cage. The knife makes a direct hit, sending Luffy's cage flying backwards as his body folds in on itself.

Your breathing stops. "No!" you say.

"Luffy!!" Zoro yells.

Nami and Buggy's eyes widen when the cage slides to a stop a few feet away.

Luffy is bent over from the impact, but suddenly he lifts himself up revealing the knife clutched between his teeth. A piece of the steel from the knife cracks off and falls onto the ground, showcasing how strong Luffy's jaw is. 

"I swear,' he says smiling while still holding the rest of the knife firmly between his teeth. "I'm gonna take you down!!"

"Take me down," says Buggy as if he’s never heard anything so ridiculous. "Hahaha! You're going to take me down!? You're hilarious! You four are gonna die right now on the spot! Painfully and brutally."

Buggy looks at you. "Every last one of you will suffer," he says. He turns to glare at Nami, Zoro and then Luffy.

Zoro spits out some blood and looks unfazed. 

"Everything's finished!" Nami screams. "We're dead!"

"Haha! I'm not gonna die!" Luffy says laughing right back at Buggy. 

"Oh, and just how exactly do you plan to take me down in this situation?" asks Buggy throwing his hands in the air. "Boys laugh at him! Laugh at his stupidity!"

Buggy's crew bursts into laughter. 

"Stupid straw hat!" someone yells from the crowd.

"Listen!" says Luffy staring at you and then Zoro. "(Y/n), Zoro! Run away!" Luffy yells.

You look flabbergasted as you and Zoro yell in unison. "What?!"

"You heard me!" Luffy says. "I'm telling the both of you to get away!"

You and Zoro stare at Luffy hesitantly. 

"Hey! Your friends want to rescue you!" says Nami. "But you're telling them to run away!?"

You look at Zoro and he smirks. "You heard our captain."

You nod. 

"Okay," Zoro says as you both take off running in opposite directions.

Nami grabs at her orange hair in shock. "What the hell?! What's going on with you two! This is why I don't trust pirates!"

Buggy's detached hands wielding knives fly after Zoro, and he sends his left leg off to chase after you.

The crew members laugh. "Look they're running away! Even Zoro, what a coward!" says one of Buggy's crew members.

"They think they can escape from Captain Buggy?" another yells.

Zoro uses his swords to slash at Buggy's flying hands to keep them away. You use your nails to scratch at Buggy's flying leg as it tries to kick you.

You and Zoro make your way back around the area and meet in front of the cannon pointing at Luffy to the surprise of Buggy and his crew.

"What the heck?" Nami says when she sees you two running at the cannon from different directions. Zoro pushes past her to get to the cannon. His arms struggle to turn the cannon's aim.

Veins pop from his arm as the huge cannon lifts up pointing at the sky before swinging down on it hinges to aim away from Luffy. 

“Alright!” you yell.

The cannon is now pointing at Buggy and his crew.

"I don't believe it!" Nami yells.

Buggy's crew screams and begins to scatter around the roof to avoid the cannon aiming at them. 

Buggy's eyes look like they are about to pop out of his head. "Ahh! You tricked me!" he yells. "That thing still has a Buggy Special Cannonball inside it!!"

"Wahhh!" Luffy says smiling. 

"Hey, light the damn cannon!" Zoro says looking at Nami.

"Huh?" Nami says. "Oh... okay!" She pulls out a match and lights it with trembling hands. 

"Hurry!" Zoro says.

"Stop it!" Buggy yells rushing over towards you all.

Nami seems too shocked to move. You snatch the match from her hand and light the cannon. It goes off with a thunderous bang as Captain Buggy yells for his crew to duck. Half of the roof of the bar is blown to pieces.

The sound rings throughout the quiet town as you cover both your ears with your hands.

When you uncover them, gray smoke fills the surrounding air clouding you four from sight.

Zoro hutches over. "This is a good time to get out of here now that the smog is hiding us. Good job (Y/n)," he says to you.

You smile when he turns to look at Nami. "Who are you anyway...? You just got in the way."

Nami flinches at Zoro's words before answering reluctantly. "Oh me. I'm... a thief."

Luffy grins goofily from inside his metal cage. "That kid is our navigator!"

Nami walks over to Luffy's cage clenching her fists. "You're an idiot, aren't you?!" she says. "If you've got time to say things like that then how about thinking of a way to get out of that cage?!"

Luffy smiles. "Hey that's a good idea...I'll do that."

Nami stares at him, contemplating what to say next.

Zoro smiles arrogantly as blood drips from the sides of his mouth. "No, it's okay," he says walking over to Luffy. "You just stay in the cage!"

"Dammit!" Buggy says coughing from somewhere in the smog. "I'm not gonna let any of you escape!!"

You nearly fall over when Zoro reaches his arms out to pick up Luffy in the heavy metal cage. His teeth grinds together as sweat pours from his forehead and veins ripple up his arm. 

"Careful!" you say fighting the urge to reach out and stop him.

"Hey Zoro," Luffy says nervously. "It's okay! Your stomach is gonna pop out if you do this!"

Just then blood spurts from the wound in Zoro's stomach. He growls in pain as the cage starts to lift off from the ground. 

"If it wants to pop out," Zoro says through clenched teeth. "Let it!"

Hey, wait!" you and Nami shout as Zoro lifts the cage up into the air and onto his shoulder. 

Blood splatters to the ground from his wound as he huffs. "Don't butt in by saying anything!!" Zoro says looking at you.

You bite your tongue. 

"But why?" Nami says to you. "Why is he doing this? He's just a pirate!"

Enough," you say somberly. "Just let it go already!"

You all take off running and hop from one connected roof to another to getaway. You turn back briefly to look at the smoky roof nearby where you hear Buggy’s yell. "Where the hell did those guys run off to?!!"

"They're gone captain!" one of his crewmate's answer. "Zoro, Nami, that girl, and even the cage!"

"No way!" Buggy yells. "That cage took five people to drag up here!!"

"Crap it's been stolen," another crew member yells.

"What has?!" Buggy says.

"The cage's key..." his crew member says. "It's gone!"

You, Zoro and Luffy hide behind a roof a few houses down from the bar and listen in on Buggy and his crew.

Nami is nowhere in sight. She's clearly taken this moment to run off and leave you guys on your own.

You frown. "Am I even surprised?" you say to yourself.

Zoro slams Luffy's cage down and falls backwards to sit on the red colored roof. He's breathing heavily and trying to stop the blood flow from his wound.

"Dammit!" Luffy says biting at the metal bars. "Open you, stupid cage!"

"They're not on the first floor of the pub!" one of Buggy's crewmember’s shout out in the distance. 

"They're not in the village street," another crew member yells in response.

"We're in a dangerous situation here..." Zoro says panting and leaning against Luffy's cage. "But what's been started must be finished, I suppose."

"Those impudent fools!" Buggy screams, loud enough for the whole town to hear. "They dare to steal and toy with me, huh!!!?"

There's a loud crash from back at the bar's roof. 

"Who am I?!" you all hear Buggy scream.

"The Pirate Buggy the Clown, Captain!" his crew responds.

"That's right!" Buggy yells. "I can see quite well we aren't dealing with ordinary thieves!! Of course, this means war!"

You find yourself staring at Zoro as you all walk further and further away from the bar. Zoro is dragging Luffy's cage on the ground behind him. He's covered in sweat. You slow down to keep up with Zoro's pace.

"We're now quite far away from that pub where Buggy and his crew are," you say. “We're safe for now. We can stop." 

Zoro exhales loudly. "They won't be able to catch up with us for a while," Zoro says. "Yeah. We've escaped for now, but this cage is starting to annoy me!!"

Luffy agrees while gnawing on the metal bars. Yeah, if this thing won't open, I won't be able to fight all those guys if they come."

You open your mouth to respond to Luffy when Zoro stops and releases the cage. He takes a few tiny steps forward. "This is it..." he says falling over like a corpse onto the ground. "I don't have enough blood. I can't walk any longer!"

He turns his head over to look away from you and Luffy and you all pause when you notice a dirty white dog sitting in front of Zoro's body.

"Eh!" Zoro yells lifting up to scoot away from the dog. "What's with this dog!?"

"Dog?" asks Luffy with shock. "It really is a dog."

"It soo cute!" you say smiling at it.

Zoro leans against the building the dog is standing in front of and leaves Luffy's cage near you and the white dog.

You lower yourself to the ground to sit beside Luffy's cage that is in front of the frozen white dog.

"What is this?" says Luffy looking at the still dog. "Is it really a dog...?"

You nod. "It is but it’s not moving at all. How peculiar."

"Hey Zoro," Luffy says. "Check out this dog with us!"

"Whatever..." Zoro says. "What it does is up to the dog. Right now, you've got to think of a way to get out of that cage."

Zoro looks at you. "Are your knees alright."

You nod. "They feel fine. It's yourself you should be worried about."

"Tsk! I'm fine," Zoro says looking away from you.

Luffy continues to stare at the dog. "I wonder if it's dead," he says using two fingers to poke the dog in the eyes.

The dog snaps and bites at the cage Luffy is in. Its jaws snap around the bar to bite Luffy's rubber jaw. 

"Arrghhhh!!" Luffy yells.

You scream and rush to stand up and get away from the angry dog. 

"You, stupid dog!" Luffy yells pushing it away only for it to bite at his arm. "What the hell?! Stupid dog! What are you doing?"

"Why would you poke the poor thing in the eyes?!" you scream as Luffy who tries to shake the dog off his extended arm.

The dog barks loudly refusing to back down from Luffy.

"You idiots!" Zoro yells at you both. "Do you even know the seriousness of this situation here?!"

Zoro and Luffy stare at each other before Zoro falls backward onto the ground in exhaustion. Luffy does the same, falling back to lay on the cage's floor. The white dog sits between them and watches at you. 

"You guys are hopeless," you say staring down at them. 

"Stupid dog!" Luffy says in exasperation.

"Dammit...." Zoro says. "I don't have enough blood!"

"You three!" a familiar voice says from behind you. "What on earth are you guys doing...?"

You turn to see Nami with her hands on her hips. "If you just lie around here in the middle of the street Buggy will definitely find you!"

"Hey Navigator," you all say in unison.

"Says who?" Nami screams at you. "I just came to repay my debt to you guy's for saving my life back there."

"Repay?" you say. "How?"

She tosses a key down in front of Luffy's cage. 

"Ahh!" Luffy says. "The key!! You stole the cage key!"

Nami sighs. "Yeah...Even if I think so myself it was really a dumb thing to do," she says. "Because of that, I couldn't steal any of the treasures!"

"Yesss!" Luffy shouts wrapping his fingers around the cage bars. "I was wondering how I could get out of this thing!"

"Heh!" says Zoro smiling through his pain and wincing. "So, the trouble we took running away paid off in the end."

Luffy reaches his hand out to grab for the key and you all gasp as the white dog scoops the key up into its mouth, using its tongue to swallow it. You all look like you're going to faint.

“No way,” Nami says.

You gasp. 

Luffy reaches his arms through the small bar space to grab the dog by the neck and starts to choke it. "You, stupid dog!" he screams. "Spit it out! That thing you just swallowed isn't food!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you so much for reading. All comments are appreciated! Add this story to your library for faster updates!


	13. Treasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: Captain Buggy has the power to detach his limbs due to the chop-chop devil fruit, and he uses it to wound Zoro from behind. Luffy swears to defeat Buggy the Clown. You and Zoro work together to escape with Luffy. After escaping you find a white dog who attacks Luffy. Nami shows up and offers Luffy the key to his cage as a thank you for saving her life from Captain Buggy. The mysterious white dog swallows the key angering Luffy. What happens next? Read and find out!

"Damn it!" Luffy screams as he continues to choke the white dog.

The dog struggles against his tight grip as you all watch in shock.

"He swallowed the key," you say.

"That damn dog," Zoro says through clenched teeth.

"Oi!! You people!" comes a low-pitched voice. You all turn to see a man come from behind a house a few feet away from you all.

He stands in the middle of the marble streets with a stern expression on his face. He is a tall old man with long white puffy hair. He also wears a brown piece of chest armor over his plaid yellow shirt. His black shorts stop at his knees, and he wears cheaply made sandals.

You notice brown armor on his lower legs and a spear in his hand. 

"Don't do anything to Shushu!" the man yells.

"Shushu?" Luffy asks.

"Who are you mister?" Zoro says looking at the man in confusion. His hand rests on his wound to stop the blood that continues to seep through his fingers.

"I'm the village leader, Boodle," the man says. "Or in other words, the chief!"

You stare up at the sky and notice the rain clouds forming above.

A few hours have passed since your meeting with the village chief Boodle, and after an awkward introduction, he decides to help you all.

"How's Zoro?" Luffy asks the moment Nami and Boodle step outside a pale orange house.

Luffy is still inside the metal cage Buggy has trapped him in.

"I patched him up, now I'm letting him sleep at my house since it's next door," says Boodle walking over to you alongside Nami. "Even though I told him that there's a doctor at the shelter outside of town, he won't listen and says that he'll get better after sleeping. Even though its an enormous injury!"

Luffy laughs.

"Is this dog's name really Shushu?" you ask Boodle.

"Yes," he says. 

"Well, what's Shushu doing here?" you ask.

Boodle sits a bowl of dog food in front of the white dog. "Shushu's guarding this store. I just came to give him some dog food.”

Nami stares up at the house behind Shushu and Boodle and gasps.

The storefront has a thick piece of wood nailed across the top of the doorway and the words read ‘Pet Food'. It’s painted across the board in yellow paint. 

"Oh, I see!" she says placing her hands on her hip. "You're right. Now that I'm looking carefully it's a store. I see it’s a pet food store.”

Boodle smiles as a faraway look appears in his eye. "The owner of this place is my friend," he says. "And ten years ago he opened this store with Shushu. This precious store is filled with cherished memories for the two although I like it too..."

A sad smile spreads across Boodle's face. "And he often would joke around with Shushu and leave him in charge of this store. Listen when I'm not here he'd say to Shushu you are the owner, so don't eat our stock! Shushu took those words very seriously as you can see."

You stare at the dirty dog and smile. "Shushu's really brave!" you say. "Everyone else has fled this town but he remains here alone and unafraid."

You kneel softly in front of the dog who eats his food quietly with an apathetic face. Boodle does the same and squats down beside you.

"Look at those wounds," Boodle says staring at the cuts and small open wounds along Shushu’s body. "They're definitely from fighting with those pirates and protecting this store."

"But then, no matter how precious he thinks this store is," says Nami. "What's actually so special about this place? Why is Shushu risking his life for this store, just because his owner said so? Shushu guards this store even though dangerous pirates are the enemy. I want to know why. The store owner is with the other people at the shelter, right?"

Boodle puts a pipe filled with tobacco up to his lips and inhales. He walks over to the stoop in front of the pet store and sits down. He rests his arms on his knees and exhales the tobacco slowly. "No... that guy, Shushu's owner... He's already gone to the next world because of a sickness.

You all look up and listen to Boodle's words closely. 

"Three months ago, Shushu's owner was hospitalized and then," says Boodle. "The day he headed to the hospital, right before he left, he told Shushu to look after the store. To protect it until he got back."

You stare at Shushu with sad eyes. "Then...could it be that this dog is continuing to wait for his owner to return from the hospital?"

Boddle chuckles. "That's what everyone says, but I see it differently,” Boodle says. "Since Shushu's an intelligent dog, he knows that his owner has already passed away. “

Luffy stares at Shushu with an unreadable expression.

"Then why still guard the store?" Nami asks.

Boodle takes another hit from his tobacco pipe. "Obviously this store is a treasure to Shushu," Boodle says. "He loved his owner so much and since this is the only property left by his owner. I think he'll continue to guard this store no matter what. It's an unendurable thing. I tried to take him into the shelter a few times, but he won't take a step away from this place...If I just left him here, I think that he'd stay until he starved to death."

You all look at Shushu fondly when a loud deafening roar pierces the air, ruining the touching moment.

Eck!" Nami yells. "W-what is that thing?" she says pointing past Luffy's cage.

Your eyes widen. "Oh crap!"

"T-that is the guy!" says Boodle. "The beast trainer Mohji!!"

Luffy continues to stare at Shushu in frustration, without looking in the direction of Mohji. "Oi, now something's coming," says Luffy. "Give me the key you little thing."

"Run away!!!" Nami and Boodle scream in unison. They take off running up the marble streets. 

"Unbelievable!" you shout after their retreating figures. "We can't just leave Luffy here. He'll die!"

Shushu barks as you try pulling at the metal bars of Luffy's cage in vain. "What should we do!?" you yell as a huge lion walks over to tower over you and Luffy.

It has a bright red mane and terrifyingly sharp teeth. You cower behind Luffy's cage and peek from behind it to see a man in a furry white crop top, and green flowy pants with a black belt. The man is also wearing white bear ears over his small head. He's sitting on top of the giant lion, and his arms are folded in front of him as he looks down at you and Luffy in contempt.

"I'm Buggy's pirate crew member," he says. "The beast trainer Mohji."

He smirks and narrows his eyes at you and Luffy. “Hohoho.... so, the people you were with just with ditched you two. Poor things and you both tried so hard to get away...Captain Buggy is pretty mad. You guys have committed a serious crime."

"What's that weird hood your wearing?" asks Luffy staring at the white bear ears on top of Mohji's head.

"What!!" Mohji yells.

"I think you made him mad," you say as Mohji gives Luffy a death stare.

"You idiot, watch what you're saying!! This is my hair!" he says pointing to his bear ears. You squint your eyes and notice that his ears are in fact on top of his white low-cut hair. 

"Bear head," you and Luffy say in unison.

"That just makes it weirder," Luffy says to Mohji's annoyance.

"Shut up!" Mohji screams. A vein throbs in the center of his forehead and he narrows his gaze to slits. "You're just a stupid girl and you, straw hat, you're in that cage so you don't know how scary I am...."

Mohji points at Shushu who continues to stand in front of the Pet Shop. "I'm telling you," he says. "There is no animal in this world that won't obey me! That includes that dog over there!"

Mohji hops off the lion and walks over to Shushu extending his hand. "Shake a paw..." he says to Shushu.

Shushu snarls and bites down on Mohji's hand.

Mohji screams and swings the dog off his arm and hurries to jump back on top of his ferocious looking lion. The scene is awkward, to say the least.

You try to hold in your laughter as Mohji sits back on top of the lion with an unreadable expression. "You two are just some nameless common thieves." He says acting as if he never tried to tame Shushu and failed.

You burst into laughter as Luffy looks at Mohji like an easy opponent. "I see you gave up on the dog," he says.

Mohji glares down at you and Luffy and you can swear his lion does the same, narrowing its eyes in a deadly gaze.

Mohji and his lion are not amused. "I have no reason not to kill you two," he says menacingly. "Now tell me where Roroanoa Zoro is."

Mohji's lion lets out a loud roar causing you to shudder in fear.

"I don't want to," says Luffy clenching his teeth together.

He shoots you a serious look and you gulp, grabbing for Shushu who struggles to get out of your arms. You rush over to the pet shop doorstep and release Shushu. You both look to watch Luffy and Mohji. 

Mohji smiles. "I guess I should just kill the straw hat. I believe Buggy wanted you and the other girl alive. He had different plans in mind to punish you two," he sneers at you before turning to glare at Luffy.

"Kill him, Richie!!" Mohji yells as his Lion charges at Luffy.

The lion bites into the metal cage snapping it into pieces with the strength of its jaw and the weight of its body.

"Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!" the lion roars as pieces of metal fly in every direction.

"Luffy!" you scream. 

You can hear Nami and Boodle yelling from somewhere in the distance.

Luffy smiles and jumps out of the way of the lion. The lion bites into the empty air where Luffy was just sitting moments ago.

You watch feeling tense all over. 

The lion Richie growls in annoyance and glares at Luffy. Richie rushes over to Luffy and slams into his body sending him flying into a red house nearby. The house explodes into pieces when Luffy's body collides against it loudly.

You rush past Mohji and his lion, around the shattered house, and onto the other side of it over to Luffy. Shushu stays behind to protect the Pet Shop. 

Richie growls at Shushu and shows all his teeth. 

"What's up?" Mohji says following Richie's gaze to look at Shushu. "Oh...Look at that, It’s a pet food store." Mohji smiles evilly. "Goodness Richie," he says patting his lion on the head. "Hurry up and finish your meal!"

Shushu growls back at Richie refusing to back down.

"Luffy! Are you alright?" you ask as soon as you reach him.

You place your hand on his arm and lean over to get a good look at him. Luffy's too busy to notice how close you are. He has his right hand on his hat and he's staring at the house he’s destroyed by crashing through it. "Whoa...what a shock," Luffy says. "I ended up all the way here on the other side."

"How are you even alive?!" you say looking at Luffy.

He bends his knees and gets into a fighting stance. Luffy holds up a fist while smiling. "An attack like that can't kill me. I'm gonna defeat that animal tamer (Y/n), and the best part is I'm out of that stuffy cage. Okay, from now on I'm never backing down. After I get rid of all these bad people, I'm gonna help you find your family and I'll make Nami the thief my navigator!"

"Whoa!" Nami and Boodle say capturing your attention.

"Hm? It's you guys," Luffy says. You both turn to see Nami and Boodle walking over to you.

"How are you still alive, kid?!" Boodle yells.

"Yeah," Nami says. "How in the world are you alive!?"

"I already asked that," you say crossing your arms in annoyance. "Looks like the two cowards came back, Luffy."

Luffy laughs. "Is it a bad thing that I'm still alive?" he asks.

"You were blasted clear through an entire house, and you don't have a scratch on you!" yells Nami pointing at the destroyed house. The roof has caved in causing the house to lean awkwardly onto one side. 

"It's freakish!" says Nami looking at Luffy in disbelief.

"I’m fine with that," says Luffy touching his straw hat.

Boodle starts to sweat as he looks at Luffy with a mix of fear and anger. "Why are you even here, anyway," says Boodle. "What's your connection to the pirates?!"

Luffy smiles. "If you need a reason," he says. "I just came up with one! I want that map to the Grand Line and a navigator!"

"What?!" says Boodle. "I don't understand!"

Luffy turns to walk away and you follow after him, turning your nose up at Nami. 

"We're going to go check on Zoro," Luffy says. "I think that weird costume guy was looking for him."

"I think that was actually fur," you say remembering Mohji's white fur-covered chest and ears. "Maybe he's part bear."

"You think so?" asks Luffy.

"Stop you fools!" Boodle calls after you two. "That lion will eat both of you for sure this time!!"

You and Luffy ignore him and make your way around a row of houses, to get back to the pet shop. When you both turn the corner, your eyes widen. You feel your heart sink in your chest. "No!" you gasp.

Shushu is barking desperately as his sits and watches the pet shop burn to the ground. You can hear the grief in each painful bark. Shushu is battered and has wounds all over his body.

You feel your eyes water as Luffy looks at Shushu with an unreadable expression. He's frowning and his hands are in the pockets of his blue shorts.

You find yourself remembering Boodle's words. "It must be because... this store is like a treasure to Shushu that he continues to protect it even though his owner is gone."

Shushu wails at the fire loudly.

"It's his only remembrance of his beloved master," you remember Boodle saying.

You wipe away a few tears as you watch Shushu bark out in despair. Small droplets of water slide from Shushu's own eyes. 

"The dog is crying," you say aloud without thinking.

Luffy doesn't respond.

Boodle's last words about Shushu ring out in your head. "At least that's why I believe Shushu continues to guard this store even though no one he loves will return to this place again."

Luffy turns and begins to walk away at a fast pace. You wipe the last few tears away from your eyes and chase after him.

"Wait! Luffy where are you going?"

Luffy stops in the middle of the marble street after walking past a row of houses and you collide into his back chasing after him. He doesn't move at all from your body hitting his.

You peek around Luffy's back and see Mohji on top of his lion walking towards you and Luffy.

"...Hey, it's you!" says Mohji sitting with his legs crossed and glaring at Luffy. "But...didn't I already kill you!!?"

Luffy crosses his arms arrogantly and laughs. "You can't kill me that easily. After all, I'm a rubber man."

"Rubberman?" Mohji asks. "Now you've got quite some luck I'll give you that. But I think you must have hit your head, straw hat..." Mohji sneers at Luffy. "I mean you're talking nonsense..."

"Stand back!' Luffy says to you.

You do as he says.

Mohji jumps down from his lion Richie while pointing at Luffy. "Showing your face here again was a huge mistake!! Chomp his head off!" he screams to his lion.

Richie roars loudly wasting no time rushing towards Luffy.

"Luffy laughs lowering into a fighting stance and twists his right arm around the left arm repeatedly until his arms stretch out around the road in front of him in a long twist.

Luffy locks his arms into place as Mohji screams in shock. "W-what the hell!" he says. "His arms...!"

Luffy stretches his twisted arms over to the lion and grabs it by both sides of its face. "Gotcha!" Luffy says.

Luffy's arms begin to unravel at warp speed causing Richie to spin in his hands in a blur. Luffy whips his spinning arms behind him before sending his arms flying over his body, smashing the lion down onto the ground with a sickening crack.

The lion's head goes through the pavement leaving only its body visible and up in the air, Richie whimpers inaudibly.

Mohji jaw drops as tears pour from his eyes. "Richie!!!"

"Luffy you did it!" you say smiling as he takes deep breaths, leaning onto one knee. His hat sits on the ground beside him.

"What!?" Mohji yells. "Just what the hell are you!?"

"I ate the Gomu Gomu fruit when I was a kid," says Luffy. 

Mohji is sweating as he looks at Luffy in shock. "Gomu Gomu fruit?!" he asks. "Then you have a devil fruit power just like Captain Buggy...!"

Mohji holds up his arms in surrender. "Oi! Okay!" he says. "I'll give you as much treasure as you want!! Please forgive me! I'm sorry!"

"Go to hell!" you yell unable to control your own anger. "You have no idea what Shushu's lost because of you!"

"I didn't mean to!" Mohji yells. "Forgive me!"

Luffy’s hair covers his eyes as he frowns. "There's no need to apologize," he says to Mohji. "Nothing you can possibly do will bring that dog's treasure back now."

Luffy lifts his eyes and you and Mohji gasp. He shoots Mohji a venomous look as veins poke out and throb from his forehead. Luffy’s jaw tightens highlighting a small scar on his right cheek. "I came back here to kick your ass!!" he growls.

Luffy stretches his arms out to grab Mohji by the neck.

Mohji stiffens. "Ahh! He's stretching again and all the way over here without moving a step!!!"

"Learn your lesson," Luffy says lifting his leg up as he prepares his left fist and pulls Mohji towards him. You watch muscles form on Luffy's arm as his fist connects with the center of Mohji's face, sending his head to bash loudly against the ground.

Blood spurts from Mohji's nose and mouth when the back of his head hits the ground.

Luffy picks up his straw hat and stands up straight. "That was for Shushu," he says to a knocked out Mohji. "Let's go (Y/n)."

Nami and Boodle stand in front of the destroyed pet shop watching Shushu sit quietly in front of it. The air feels somber.

"They're all the same...!!" Nami says, her lip quivering. "Pirates are all the same!"

Boodle doesn’t respond. 

"They take everything people hold dear!" Nami screams.

"Nami..." you say catching their attention as you and Luffy walk over to them.

You're holding a crushed yellow box of dog food in your hand. Luffy found the box on Mohji, who stole it from the pet shop.

"Oh," Nami says. "I see you pirates are alive! I was certain you two will be eaten by that lion."

"How can you say that?" Boodle says scolding Nami.

"What's your problem?" you ask. "For someone who just ran away like a scardey cat you sure have a lot to say!"

"Pirates are scum!" Nami yells. "You and that straw hat boy are scum!"

"And you are low life thief who'll never get one hundred million beli!" you yell back.

"Hey now," Boodle says. "Let's just all calm down."

Nami freezes and glares at you. "You're the worse!" she says. "You're jealous of me! I'm more useful than you'll ever be! That's why your captain wants me to be a part of his crew!"

You blush from anger. "We need someone who knows the sea! You could be an ugly old hag and we'd still pick you if you knew how to navigate!" you shout. "Your looks mean nothing to us! Your just jealous. I know I’m better! I have a better body and a prettier face! Your big boobs can't hide how ugly you are on the inside, Nami!”

She grinds her teeth in frustration. “Your body is so ugly!” she says. “You look like a poor orphan that no one will ever love. You’re lucky I found that green dress for you because you barely look civilized as it is!”

You flinch at her words; they actually manage to hurt your feelings a little. 

You and Nami look ready to attack each other at any moment.

Luffy puts a hand on your shoulder instantly calming you down. "We need to get back to Zoro," he says.

You nod trying hard to hide your embarrassment of Luffy seeing you so worked up.

Your both walk away when Nami raises her fist and tries to rush at you from behind. Boodle wraps his arms around Nami to grab her. He tries to calm her down as she struggles against him shooting daggers your way.

"I'll kill you both here and now!" she yells. "I'll do it before you get the chance to gather crewmates and attack towns like this one!!"

"Hey, stop it girl!!" Boodle yells.

You and Luffy just stare at Nami in silence before Luffy sticks out his tongue condescendingly. "As if you could beat me."

"What!?" Nami yells even louder. "Let's find out shall we!? Damn pirate!"

"Let's go (Y/n)," Luffy says turning to walk away. You roll your eyes at Nami and follow behind him. _She’s a lost cause_, you think.

"Would you three cut it out already!" Boodle yells out from behind you.

Luffy stops in front of the burned remains of the pet shop and takes the yellow crushed box of dog food from your hands. He sits the box in front of Shushu who looks at the food intently.

"What's he doing?" you hear Nami say as Boodle loosens his grip on her.

"This was the only thing left," Luffy says sitting down cross-legged to the right side of Shushu.

You sit down on the left of Shushu and pat his head gently.

"There lion ate everything else," you say to Shushu. "Sorry Luffy and I took so long to get back."

You hear Nami gasp and whisper to Boodle. "He...he went to fight the lion just for the dog!"

"You did good!" you say smiling at Shushu. "You put up quite the fight!"

Luffy nods and smiles. "It's not like we were here to see it, but we can tell!"

A bloody Shushu picks up the box of dog food with his mouth and walks off down the marble streets. He stops when he's a few feet away and turns to stare at you and Luffy as if to say thank you and goodbye. The sun peeks through the clouds and shines down on Shushu.

"Woof!" Shushu barks dropping the bag of dog food.

"Yeah!" Luffy yells. "Good luck to you too!"

Shushu continues to bark gratefully as Nami watches, unsure of what she’s seeing. "Pirates don't act this way..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading. Comments are appreciated! :) Also add this story to your library for faster updates!


	14. Reckless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: You meet the village Mayor Boodle. He explains why Shushu the dog guards the Pet Food Shop of his deceased owner. Mohji a beast tamer shows up and fights Luffy. After sending Luffy flying, Mohji's lion beats up Shushu and destroys the Pet Shop. Luffy defeats Mohji and his lion getting revenge for Shushu. Nami wonders if you and Luffy are really pirates. Luffy is determined to take down Buggy the Clown. What happens next? Read and find out!

Nami watches Luffy and you talk quietly amongst yourselves as you sit on the ground beside each other. 

You are all sitting outside in front of the burned remains of the pet food shop wondering what to do next. The sky is blue and cloudy but it no longer seems like it will rain. 

"Are you sure you’re alright?" you ask Luffy. 

He nods. "Yeah, I'm not even tired. I can still fight," he says.

Nami takes this moment to walk over to you and raises her hand to the side of her head in salute. "Sorry for yelling at the two of you back there," she says cutely.

"And for trying to attack me?" you say in a dry tone.

She frowns. "I'm sorry for trying to attack both of you," she says like she's swallowed something painful.

You look up at Nami without responding as Luffy stands up to dust off his blue shorts "It's okay," he says. "Someone important to you was killed by a pirate. I'm sure you've got your own problems to worry about. Not that I wanna hear about em."

Nami smiles but her eyes look sad.

"Nrrrrrrrrrggh!" Boodle shouts out. "I can't take it anymore...!!"

"Eh?" Nami says looking at him in surprise.

"It's just not fair!!" Boodle responds. "Even Shushu and you kids have been fighting for this island! For us! How can I, the mayor, sit by and watch my home be destroyed without lifting a finger!?"

"Settle down, mayor!" says Nami putting her hands up.

"There are some fights a man cannot back down from!!" Boodle yells in fury. 

You and Nami are taken aback by his angry outburst.

"Am I wrong, kid!?" Boodle says looking at Luffy.

Luffy gives him a mischievous grin. "Your spot-on old man!"

"Don't egg him on!" says Nami.

Boodle looks up at the sky and turns his back to you all while clearing his throat. "In other words, it all started 40 years ago," he says. "This place was just a simple wasteland! That's where it all began. We all decided to erect a town here and forget about the old town that was destroyed by pirates...."

You all listen closely to his words.

"At first it was nothing but a few tiny houses," says Boodle. "But little by little, the number of townspeople grew. As we worked harder the town expanded and more businesses were founded!"

Boodle stands proudly in the center of the white marble streets and looks around at all the sturdy and beautifully painted homes. "And look now!" he yells. "That once meager town has grown into a splendid port town! A town built by all the old folks who started it, years ago! We made this town!!"

Boodle throws his hands in the air triumphantly. "Both this town and the citizens are my treasure," he yells picking up the spear he let fall onto the ground earlier.

"What kind of mayor fails to protect his own town!?" asks Boodle. "I will fight!!"

It happens so fast. Before any of you can respond to Boodle a loud explosion shocks you all, destroying the huge row of houses Boodle was just admiring proudly. At least twenty houses are gone just like that, exploding into pieces.

You and Nami scream as the explosion sends you both flying backwards to hit the ground. You try to cover your ears, but the gust of wind keeps you from having any control over your body. After hitting the ground, you roll along the street, stopping inches away from Nami’s body.

Luffy tries to jump out of the way of stray thick pieces of wood but he's sent flying backwards with you and Nami.

"Arrrggghhhhhh!" Boodle screams as he's tosses along the ground like a rock, and hits his head. "My house!"

Your eyes widen at the huge mess before you all. Luffy and Boodle look angrier than you've ever seen them.

Ahhhh!" Luffy yells. "Zoro was asleep in one of those houses!!"

You feel your heart stop. "There's no way anyone could survive that!" you say in disbelief.

Gray thick smoke fills the air as you all look at the destruction in front of you. The row of houses are all blown to smithereens as thick gray smoke rises around the destruction of the destroyed homes.

"Zoro!" you call out. "Are you alright?!"

"The guy with the katana is dead!" Broodle yells.

"No way!" Luffy says. "Hey Zoro, are you alive??!.... Hm" Luffy stares intently at the smoke as it starts to clear over the area where Boodle's home previously stood.

The smoke clears a little and you all see Zoro sitting in the middle of what’s left of Boodle’s destroyed home. Smoke continues to rise in a thin mist around him.

"Ahh," Zoro says while rubbing his head. "Talk about a rude awakening."

You can't stop the huge smile that spreads across your face. "Zoro you're alright! I'm so happy!"

Luffy nods eagerly. "Great! You're alive!"

Nami stares in disbelief at Zoro. ".... But how?" she says. "How can he still be alive...!?"

Boodle clutches his armored chest like he's having a heart attack. "It's like my beating heart has been wrecked," he says breathing heavily. "I will never forgive them for this!! I will not be crushed twice!"

Boodle picks up his spear and holds it up in the air. "These ruffians have no right to just show up out of nowhere and destroy the last 40 years of our lives!!" he says. "I am this town's mayor! And no one messes with my town without my permission! Time to settle things!" Boodle screams and starts to take off running. 

Nami grabs his yellow plaid shirt poking through the bottom of his chest armor before he can get far. "W-wait mayor!" she says.

"Unhand me, girl!" Boodle screams resisting her.

"What can you possibly do against guys like them!?" Nami screams back. "It's beyond reckless!!

"I know it’s reckless!" Boodle practically roars at her as tears fall from his angry eyes.

Zoro and Luffy stare in silence as you and Nami gasp. 

Nami releases the Major as he runs off.

"Just you wait!" Boodle screams. “Buggy the Clown you will pay!"

You all watch his retreating figure until he's no longer in sight.

"The mayor was crying..." Nami says breaking the brief silence.

Luffy turns away. "Really? I didn't notice."

Zoro smiles. "Things are starting to get exciting!" he says.

"Haha, yup!" Luffy laughs.

You sigh in relief. "I'm just glad you’re alright, Zoro.”

He gives you an arrogant smile. "And why wouldn't I be alright?" he says looking at you.

You stare at the bandages wrapped around his torso. "Because you’re injured," you say sincerely.

Zoro scoffs. "This isn't my first injury and it won't be the last."

You roll your eyes but laugh along with Luffy and Zoro. It feels good to all be in one space again. 

"This is no time for laughing!" Nami screams.

Luffy grins. "It's alright!" he says. "I like that old man. I won't let him die!"

Nami isn't moved by Luffy's confidence at all. "What's giving you the confidence to just stand here and laugh?!" she aks.

"Because we're going to the Grand Line," Luffy says. "We _have_ to go back and get that map!" Luffy holds a handout to Nami. "Join my crew!" he says smiling. "You need the map, right? And your treasure."

Nami stares at Luffy's outstretched hand in contemplation before speaking. "I refuse to become a pirate!" she says seriously. "Call it an alliance instead." Nami slaps Luffy's hand in camaraderie. "We're both working towards our individual goals!"

"How noble of you," you say turning to walk in the direction Boodle went. 

Zoro stands and dusts himself off and follows you.

"How long is she going to be around?" Nami asks Luffy as they start to walk after you and Zoro.

Luffy smiles. "I made a promise so (Y/n) will be around until I fulfill it. Who knows how long it will be?” 

Luffy and Nami trail after you as you listen from ahead walking alongside Zoro.

"I don't think there's room for two short-tempered girls," Nami says.

Zoro laughs under his breath and you glare at him. "The only short-tempered one is you," you say without turning behind you to look at Nami. "I've dealt with girls like you back at my old home. Self-absorbed, conniving, and always looking for something to steal.”

Nami blushes in anger. "That's not me at all!"

Luffy laughs. "Are you two going to argue the whole way?"

Nami jumps like she’s just remembered something important. "Zoro, you’re coming with us," she says. "But what about that stab wound in your stomach..."

Zoro stops walking causing you all to do the same. "It's just fine," he says snatching the black scarf wrapped around his arm off.

"Yeah right!" Nami scolds. 

Zoro smiles wickedly, wrapping the black scarf around his head as his gaze narrows. "They've done more damage to my stomach, but that’s nothing compared to what I’m gonna do to them," he says. "Shall we go?"

Luffy grins folding his right hand into a fist and punching it into his left palm. His knuckles crack as he smiles in mischief. "Yeah let's go," he says walking past Nami. Zoro and Luffy walk off leaving you and Nami to fall behind.

Nami sighs in exasperation. "Jeez I give up," she says crossing her arms.

"There no other way," you say in amusement as you both start to follow after Luffy and Zoro. "To be a part of this crew you will always have to fight for what’s right."

The four of you arrive at the bar you escaped from earlier to see Boodle putting up a verbal fight against Buggy the Clown.

You all watch as Boodle demands Buggy to come down from the bar's roof to fight him like a man, but Buggy laughs with his crew.

"You're telling me to come down there!" Buggy says. Who do you think you're talking to with such disrespect old man? Let me tell you who I am!!"

His right hand detaches from his body and flies down swiftly to choke an unsuspecting Boodle. 

"Ughhh! You...bastard!" Boodle gasps completely caught off guard.

Buggy laughs evilly. "Soon the Grand Line will be within my grasp!" he says. "I'm going to be the man who's got his hand on every treasure that glitters in the world! The world's treasure is mine! In this world, there is gonna be no one but me who's got any treasure!"

Buggy narrows his gaze at Boodle as three of his crewmen push the Buggy cannon forward and aim it at the old man. Boodle thrashes around still trying to escape from Buggy's hand that's choking him.

"If this village means so much to you," says Buggy. "I suppose you would be greatly honored to become dust with it."

Buggy's hand lifts Boodle’s body off the ground as he struggles against his grip.

"What the hell," Boodle says in between breaths. "You bastard! Fight me!!"

Buggy frowns. "Oi whatever.... just blow it all apart!!"

Boodles eyes widen. "You can't do anything to the village! Fight me you coward! Come down here and fight!!"

Buggy makes a strange face and then looks at his arm without a hand. "Huh?" he says in surprise. He looks down at Boodle and sneers. "That straw-hat!!!"

You and Nami gasp as you watch Luffy stand in between Boodle and Buggy's dismembered hand. He's holding the hand tightly with his rubber hand. Luffy straw hat covers his eyes from sight.

"What the heck?!" Nami says freaking out.

"When did Luffy get over there?" you say. "He was just over here with us!"

Zoro smirks as you all continue to watch Luffy from twenty feet away. You had all shown up just in time to see Buggy's underhanded tactic.

He isn't planning on fighting Boodle fairly. In fact, he is already planning to blow Boodle up along with the rest of the town.

Luffy grins and stares up at Buggy. "I've kept my promise..." he says. "I've come to beat you!"

Buggy cracks the knuckles on his remaining hand in anger. "So, you came without a single trance of fear by your own will...!! You morons!" he yells finally taking notice of you, Zoro, and Nami a few yards away. "You're all so dead!!" Buggy screams.

Nami immediately looks over at you and Zoro. "Listen I don't care whether you two fight or not. You guys do as you wish... I'm just here for the map and the treasure.”

"Yeah," I know," Zoro says nonchalantly while standing with his hands in his pockets.

You don't even bother responding as the three of you walk over to Luffy and Boodle.

"All of you," Boodle says struggling to stand up on his own. "What did you come back for? You four just stay out of this. This is my war!! I'm the one who must protect this village! Don't interfere!" 

Boodle turns to charge in the direction of the bar Buggy and his crew are standing on top of.

Luffy slams his hands against the back of Boodles head hard, sending him crashing face-first onto the ground unconscious.

"What are you doing?!" yells Nami.

"Huh?" Buggy says in shock.

You and Zoro stare in silence as Boodle's body lay on the ground unmoving. The glasses he's wearing fall beside him and shatter.

Luffy dusts off his hands and turns away from Boodle.

"What the hell was that for?" Nami yells. "Why did you do that to the chief?"

"Cause he just got in the way!" Luffy says grinning.

Buggy and his crew stare at Luffy in silence.

"That was smart thinking," you say. 

Zoro nods. "If you had left him alone without a doubt, he would've charged in recklessly. It's safer for him to be unconscious.”

Nami looks at you three like you've lost your minds. "Don't do anything unnecessary!"

Luffy looks up at Buggy condescendingly. "Hey, you...huge red ugly big nose guy!!"

Buggy and his crew jaws drop in shock. Some of Buggy's crewmembers begin to cry and beg Buggy to not react and keep calm.

"Ehh!?!" Nami yells.

Zoro and you cringe.

"Fire the Buggy Special Cannonball!!" Buggy screams furiously. "Fire the damn cannon now! Begone!!" Buggy says as the cannon loudly shoots out an iron ball. The ball has a skeleton clown wearing a red nose painted on it. 

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Nami yells taking off running. "You idiot!"

"We should have planned this out more!" you say rushing to dodge the cannon that hurls at you all.

"Oi, Luffy!" Zoro screams. "Dodge it!"

Luffy grins while continuing to stand in the same spot. "Do you think because of a cannonball.... I’ll move a single inch," he says.

Luffy takes a huge gulp of air as his stomach expands rapidly causing him to expand to the size of a large ball. The cannon hits Luffy's inflated stomach as you all gasp.

Luffy stumbles back from the force of the cannonball before his belly flops forward, violently sending the cannonball shooting back towards the bar roof Buggy and his crew stand on.

"What the hell is that kid?!" Buggy screams. 

"The Buggy special cannonball.!" his crew shouts in horror. "He bounced it back!!"

Zoro places a hand on his forehead and sighs. "Could've said something sooner, Luffy."

The cannonball collides with the bar's roof and explods, causing the whole building to crumble down with a loud bang.

"Yayy!" Luffy says touching his hat. "Their numbers have decreased! Shall we start?!"

Nami falls to her knees in shock. "What the hell are you?!" she yells at Luffy.

"So much for blowing us up," says Zoro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! Please like and comment. :) Add this story to your library for faster updates.


	15. Versus!! Buggy's Pirate Fleet: A Difference in Level

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previous Chapter: Boodle proudly tells you about how he created his town right before Buggy the cloud destroys half of it with a cannon. Boodle decides to confront Buggy the Clown and protect what's left of his town. Buggy plays dirty and decides to blow up Boodle and the rest of the town. Luffy and the rest of you show up just in time to stop Buggy. What happens next? Read and find out!

A/N: This chapter is longer than my other ones by 1,000 extra words because I love you guys! Thanks for all the support and comments! :)

The four of you stand in front of the destroyed remains of the bar and watch as smoke fills the air surrounding the area the bar use to be. You see members of Buggy's crew lay unconscious in the rubble.

"Explain yourself!" Nami says lifting herself up off the ground from her knees. "I don't understand this at all! From the moment I've met you guys things have just been weird. How did you two fight the animal tamer Mohji's lion and come back alive?! How did Zoro survive that house collapsing on him!"

You hold up your hands. "Nami relax! These guys are strong. Luffy and Zoro are going to the Grand Line. I'm sure they're more people like them there!"

Nami rolls her eyes. "These guys are freaks!" she says looking from Luffy to Zoro. "They do things that are humanly impossible! They'll get us killed!"

"YOU almost got us killed!" you say to Nami. "I recall it being you who took us in as hostages to Buggy the Clown!"

"I had a plan!" Nami says. 

"Like what?" says Zoro. "To get Luffy and (Y/n) killed."

Nami's eyes widen. "I would never do anything like that! Besides this isn't about me! How the hell did you swell up like a balloon?!" Nami says to Luffy.

Luffy smiles. "I used Gomu Gomu Balloon!"

"I wasn't asking for the name!" yells Nami.

The sound of laughter fills the air and you all look toward the rubble from the bar. 

"Huh?" Nami says. "It’s Richie the lion and two of Buggy's crew members."

They're standing up but their bodies seem off to you and their heads hang to the side like they're unconscious. You notice the two figures standing directly behind the bodies on top of the rubble and gasp.

"You're chatting around making a lotta noise like you're not scared," says a familiar voice.

"Using their crew as a shield," you say. "That's terrible."

Buggy's flying hands toss the two-crew member's unconscious bodies to the ground.

The man beside Buggy continues to hold up Richie the lion in front of him blocking his face from view.

"Dammit I was unconscious," a voice says from behind Buggy and the mysterious man with him.

A pile of wood is tossed to the side as Mohji the animal tamer claws his way out of the rumble. "What is this mess...? What happened to the bar?!"

"Mohji..." says the mysterious man holding the lion. "So, your still alive."

Mohji glares at the man holding his lion, with pure hatred. "Cabaji, you!" he yells. "What the heck did you do to Richie?!"

"...Ah, this kitten?" Cabaji says tossing Richie to the ground like a piece of trash. You finally get a good look at him. He's a tall man wearing white flowy pants with a long tan vest that almost reaches the ground. He's shirtless and his hair is styled in a duo fashion. 

On the left side of Cabaji’s head, his straight black hair stops at his shoulders while the right side is shaved into a low cut and dyed in black and white stripes. He has a pointy nose and eyes that suggest he believes everyone is inferior to him.

"I was afraid my clothes might get dirty, so I just used him as a shield," says Cabaji dusting off his pants. 

Mohji runs over to his lion and holds it in his lap. "Hey Richie, you okay?" he asks.

The lion makes a coughing side and stands up on his four legs with Mohji's help

Cabaji shoots the lion a death stare causing the lion to cower behind Mohji, shivering with its head down.

"You bastard!" Mohji says through clenched teeth. He suddenly notices you and Luffy and his eyes almost pop out of his head. "Ehhh! The straw hat!!" Mohji yells. "Captain Buggy be careful of that kid! That kid also gained powers from the devil's fruit! He's a rubber man!"

"Rubber man?!" Nami gasps looking at Luffy who stretches his cheeks far apart in his hands to emphasis his ability.

"Kya! You're not human!" says Nami.

Buggy frowns. "Devil fruit..." he says. "So that's how he managed to bounce the Buggy Special Cannon Ball back...but Mohji. If you knew that already..."

Buggy's flying hand grabs Mohji from behind and sends him soaring through the air, towards you, Luffy, and the others.

"Why the heck didn't you tell me that earlier!!" Buggy yells.

"But I did!" Mohji squeals flying through the air towards you all in terror. "Get out of the way!"

Luffy smiles as Mohji gets closer. "You get out of the way!" he says raising his leg up.

Mohji eyes widen as Luffy's foot slams into the side of his head causing blood to spurt from his mouth. Mohji screams in pain as his body is sent flying towards you and Nami. 

"Yikes!" Nami yells jumping out of the way. 

You jump in the opposite direction of Nami and almost fall to the ground. "Watch it!" you yell at Luffy.

"I'm Buggy's Pirate Fleet's Banchou 'Cabaji' the Acrobat!" Buggy's crew member yells riding a unicycle towards you all with a sword raised. He's fast, and before Luffy can turn around Zoro is in front of him with his own sword raised, blocking Cabaji's attack.

Zoro narrows his eyes dangerously. You notice the black scarf wrapped around his green hair and wonder why he decided to put it on now of all times.

"If its swords," Zoro says. "I'm all for it."

"It is an honor Roaronoa Zoro..." Cabaji says. "As a swordsman, I get to slay you."

You and Luffy notice Zoro wince and see a red circle forming on the white bandages wrapped around his torso.

Luffy frowns. "Look Zoro, I think it's better if I do it," he says. "You go take a rest."

"You fool," Cabaji yells spitting fire from his mouth towards Zoro's face. 

Zoro barely manages to dodge and jumps backwards falling onto one knee. He raises his arm to block the fire just as Cabaji kicks the side of Zoro's abdomen hard. Blood spurts from Zoro's wound as he yells out and is sent down to the ground.

"Zoro!" you and Luffy yell.

Nami grabs at her hair and gasps. "His wound reopened!!"

"Arrghhhhhh!" Zoro yells rolling onto his back. His eyes go completely white for a second before he inhales and takes a deep breath of air. "Dammit!" he says.

Cabaji snickers. "Eh! What's this? I didn't even kick you that hard, did I?"

"You dirty bastard!" Nami says glaring at Cabaji. "Aiming at his wounded area is dirty!"

Cabaji rides his unicycle away from you all down the marble streets before turning around suddenly beside a few houses and speeding back in the direction of Zoro. He smiles covertly when he reaches Zoro and stabs his sword to the ground creating a cloud of dust around him.

"Acrobat technique!" he yells. "Murder mist trick!" Cabaji twirls the sword in his hand at lighting speed causing the mist to expand around him.

You all wait in anticipation.

"It's some trick," Zoro says panting. "It's just a cloud of dust! Big deal!"

Cabaji suddenly falls from the sky jumping through the miss and wielding his sword at Zoro. His sword slams into two of Zoro's awaiting swords with a loud clang.

Cabaji smirks and raises his leg.

"Watch out Zoro," you yell. "He's aiming for your weak spot again!"

Before Zoro can react Cabaji's foot connects with Zoro's bleeding wound, kicking him roughly to the side.

Cabaji rides his unicycle in a circle around Zoro laughing as Zoro screams in pain.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Zoro yells like he's going to die. His body slumps to the ground as he stops moving.

"That bastard really did it again," says Nami.

"What's wrong?" Cabaji says in a gloating manner while balancing his weight on the unicycle to stay in one place. "A grown man rolling around on the ground, and crying out loud is absolutely pathetic to watch..."

Luffy watches in silence.

"Because of your partner's odd power," Cabaji says. "We've suddenly gotten in a bad predicament. Even though you're a 'pirate hunter,' making the Buggy Fleet your enemy was a big mistake."

Zoro’s body trembles on the ground as he curls up and clutches his bleeding wound. Blood forms in a puddle underneath him.

You feel your heart starting to race. _Get up Zoro,_ you think. _You can't lose..._

"Fighting with that injury was already too much from the start!" Nami says to Luffy. "Why are you just watching with a silent stone face?! That guy's gonna die!"

Luffy doesn't respond but he's watching Zoro with a serious expression on his face.

"Roronoa Zoro!" Cabaji yells readying his sword. "Go to the next world!"

Zoro quickly stands and punches Cabaji in the face with the handle of his sword. There's a loud thud when the handle of Zoro sword connects with Cabaji's skull. Cabaji's falls to the ground landing face-first on the hard marble street as his unicycle flies a few feet away from him.

"Eh!" Nami gasps.

You jump in excitement as a smile spreads across Luffy's face.

Buggy sneers at Zoro, he's still standing in front of the destroyed bar watching the fight.

Zoro stands up straight and scowls at Cabaji on the ground. "What an annoying guy! Do you find tearing up my wound that much fun?!"

Zoro uses his right sword to slice at his already bleeding wound, causing it to open even more.

"What the!?" Cababji yells in shock.

Your eyes widen as Nami covers her mouth in disbelief.

Luffy makes an anxious expression like he feels queasy, while Buggy looks mildly surprised at Zoro's bold move.

Zoro takes a deep breath and exhales as blood pools out of his large wound, trailing down his pants onto the white marble streets. His forehead is covered in sweat and veins are popping from his neck. "My goal," says Zoro. "Is to become the world's greatest swordsman."

"Damn you...?" Cabaji says, finally lifting himself off the ground to stand and rubbing at his jaw.

Zoro pulls out his third sword and puts it between his teeth. "Is my condition satisfying to you now?" he says through his teeth. "Let me teach you the difference in level between us."

"Waaahhh...so cool!" Luffy shouts.

You nod trying to ignore the weird butterfly sensation in your stomach as you stare at Zoro.

"He's so strong," you say.

Nami chuckles. "I guess I shouldn't be so worried after all."

For the first time since meeting Cabaji', he actually looks a little unsure of himself. He smiles apprehensively. "Roronoa Zoro," he says...Y-your nothing b-but an impudent fool..."

Zoro's own blood drips from the sword in his right hand, but he stands determined, and unaffected by his wound.

Nami groans and runs a hand through her short orange hair. "Ah! Just looking at him makes me feel like he's going to collapse any second. That wound is bad!"

"Go Zoro!" Luffy yells throwing his fist in the air as you stare at Zoro with an anxious expression.

"To anyone who calls himself a swordsman," says Zoro. "I won't allow myself to lose even once to him."

Cabaji and Zoro glare at each other bitterly. 

Cabaji raises his sword and grins arrogantly. "Ohoo... you got a strong determination there, but don't worry," he says. "Fighting me with such a serious injury, you can use that as an excuse when I defeat you."

Zoro spreads his arms out with the sharp edges of his sword pointing towards the ground. He hangs his head and spreads his legs out like a cross. "Nonsense!" Zoro growls. "With this sort of injury, if I lose against the likes of you, my future carries an obvious fate..."

"You asshole!" Cabaji says glaring at him

Buggy watches Zoro with an angry expression.

"Hey!" Nami says placing a hand on Luffy's shoulder.

You and Luffy look in her direction to see her smile. 

"What's up?" asks Luffy.

"Behind the destroyed bar there's a warehouse," says Nami pointing her thumb in the destroyed pub's direction. "There is treasure there, and the 'Grand Line," map is still in Buggy's possession. Since the other crewmembers of his pirate fleet are still unconscious, I'll use this moment to slip over there! After I acquire the warehouse's treasure, I'll make my escape."

Nami begins to walk away, waving a hand lazily behind her. "Whether you guy's win the fight against Buggy or not has nothing to do with me!" 

Nami stops as if she's remembers something and points at you, smiling a little too sweetly. "But if you actually manage to fulfill your part in this and get the map from Buggy...let's cooperate again when that happens." 

She runs towards some nearby houses and turns to wave at you and Luffy. "Then I should go!" she says running down an alley path waving goodbye. "I wish you guys a good fight!"

"Okay thanks," Luffy says with a smile.

You roll your eyes. "Unbelievable!" you say. "She's running off again!"

"Enough talking!" Cabaji yells pulling out three green spinning tops. The tops twirl along his outstretched arm as he jumps back and away from Zoro. He kicks his unicycle up with his leg and jumps onto it.

Zoro prepares himself to block any attack Cabaji's planning.

Buggy smirks like he knows something you all don't.

"Acrobat Technique! One hundred tops Typhon!" shouts Cabaji, flinging the three green spinning tops towards Zoro.

They multiply and increase in size before your eyes and before you can even blink a hundred tops are flying Zoro's way.

Zoro bites down on the sword handle in his mouth even harder and uses the swords in his arms to swing at the flying tops. He dodges the spinning tops that aim at his head paying less attention to the few that hit is abdomen.

Cabaji uses this opportunity to ride his unicycle towards some nearby houses and rides it along the outer wall of the house. "Acrobat Technique 'Wall Riding!" he shouts paddling the unicycle swiftly up the wall.

Zoro slices up the remainder of the spinning tops that fly in his direction and freezes, contemplating Cabaji's next move.

Cabaji reaches the top of the roof on his unicycle and jumps into the air at an inhuman height.

You gasp.

"Whaa?! He's so high!" you say.

Luffy uses his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and look up at Cabaji. "Whoa!" he yells. "That is high!"

"Acrobat technique! Midsummer firecrackers ignition!" Cabaji yells holding his sword in both hands and pointing the sharp blade down towards the ground at Zoro.

"Die!" he says looking down at Zoro like scum. His unicycle starts to fall rapidly from the sky as he prepares to stab his sword down on top of Zoro's head.

Buggy chuckles. "Yes! Kill him!' he yells shooting his left hand out to grab Zoro. "Ground Runner Bara Bara Cannon!" Buggy's left-hand flies over towards Zoro neck as Zoro's eyes widen. Zoro looks towards Buggy's hand as Cabaji's gets closer to piecing his unsuspecting body from above. 

"Zoro! Above you!" you scream.

"Cabaji!" Buggy yells. "Kill him quick while I hold him in place! Finish Zoro off now!"

Cabaji smiles evilly, as he continues to fall from the sky right above Zoro's head. "Yes, captain!"

"That bastard!" Zoro yells looking over at Buggy’s approaching hand. 

Luffy takes off running, kicking his leg behind him to flip over Zoro. He lands on Buggy's hand while bending both of his knees. His foot slams Buggy's hand into the ground causing him to cry out in pain.

"Arrrrgghhh!" Buggy yells holding his handless arm up. 

"Luffy...!" says Zoro.

"Don't interfere with Zoro's fight!" Luffy says glaring at Buggy in amusement as the clown began to sweat.

"Y-you asshole!" Buggy yells in distress.

You notice Zoro smirk and cast his gaze towards the ground.

"Hey, bastard!" Cabaji yells. "Even without Captain's help, finishing you will be a piece of cake!"

Cabaji's unicycle slams on the ground as Zoro barely manages to jump out the way. Cabaji's sword tip hits the ground with a loud crack that moderately splits the marble street in half. The wind from his fall sends your hair flying out behind you. Luffy holds his hat down with his left hand so his hat doesn't fly off his head.

"Tsk!" Cabaji spits looking over at Zoro who is gasping for breath and covered in his own blood.

"Stop now," Zoro says panting. "I'm tired..."

Cabaji looks at Zoro in shock before bursting into laughter. "You're tired!" he sneers. "Are you getting anemia?"

Cabaji runs a hand through the side of his hair that's shoulder-length. "You're finally giving up. Well, I suppose it was obvious...! I mean it’s a substantial effort you make to stay standing."

Zoro rolls swiftly along the ground towards Cabaji's who’s still gloating and kicks him off his unicycle.

Cabaji hits the ground in shock and turns to look at Zoro with wide eyes.

"I meant," says Zoro glaring down menacingly at him. "Is that I'm tired being the opponent of someone who has such pitiful skills."

Cabaji jumps up from the ground and readies his sword. "Then let me finish you off!" he screams lounging at Zoro. "With my real sword skills!"

Zoro gets back into his fighting stance and crosses his arm with the swords pointing towards the sky. He bends his knees. "ONI..." he says through gritted teeth running towards Cabaji in a blur. "GIRI!!!"

Cabaji howls in pain as Zoro swords slash across his bare skin, cutting his torso area. Two slash marks in the shape of an X are carved into Cabaji’s abdomen. The slash’s spurt out blood. Cabaji falls to the ground screaming and hyperventilating.

"Cabaji!" Buggy screams in shock.

Luffy smiles as you gawk at Zoro.

"Damn it!" Cabaji whimpers. "I, the best pirate is slain by the likes of a common thief...! So shameful..." He goes silent and stops moving.

Zoro reaches his hand up to take off his black scarf and sighs. He's covered in sweat and blood. "Not a common thief," Zoro says collapsing onto the ground. "But a pirate."

"Zoro!" you yell rushing over to him. You lower to the ground with your knees in front of you.

Zoro shifts his way over to you. "Tie the scarf back around my arm," he says.

You do as he says. "What's with this scarf?" you say?

He chuckles. "I'm not playing around when I put that scarf on."

You frown. "Whatever! "What were you thinking?!" you say. "Cutting open your own wound!"

"I won didn't I!?" Zoro yells back.

"But you could have died!" you say.

Zoro ignores you and lays his head on your lap.

You blush. "What are you doing?!" you ask.

Luffy laughs. "I knew Zoro would win! I wasn't worried."

"Luffy," Zoro says shifting his head in your lap to look at him. "I'm gonna sleep...."

"Eh! On me?!" you say.

Zoro stares up at you and you notice the fatigue in his gold eyes. Your eyes lock on each others briefly as your breathing catches in your throat.

_His eyes_, you think. You feel yourself getting lost in Zoro’s gaze.

Zoro slowly closes his eyes and starts to take deep breaths. You feel your heart skip a beat and snakingly place your hand on his forehand. Your fingers brush against the top of his wet green hair and you inhale deeply.

Zoro groans and shifts in your lap. He's still in pain.

"You have a fever..." you say brushing his hair lightly with your thumb.

"I'll sleep it off," Zoro mumbles as his breathing slows down, signaling he's just drifted off into sleep.

Luffy smiles. "Yeah you sleep, Zoro," he says flexing his right arm and rubbing it with his left hand. "I'll finish this fight once and for all. (Y/n) you look after Zoro. Buggy and I have a battle to finish!"

You nod. "Right."

Your leg starts to feel wet and you look down at Zoro's face to see he's sweating a lot.

"We need to hurry!" you say to Luffy. "I want to get Zoro to a real bed. He needs to rest!"

"Wait a minute!" Buggy yells glaring at Luffy. "You mean you guys...are pirates!?"

"Yeah," Luffy says. "Hand over the Grand Line map!"

"So that was your goal...That place isn't exactly somewhere nameless pirates like yourself go as they please," Buggy says angrily. "So, what are you planning to do there!? You wanna go have a sightseeing tour?"

"I'm gonna become the Pirate King!!" Luffy says seriously.

Buggy goes white in the face. "Don't kid around!! You idiotic fool!" he screams. "You become Pirate King!? Then I'm God!! The person who'll get his hands on all the treasure in the world is me!"

Luffy gets into his fighting stance, bending his knees and holding his right arm with his left hand to crack his knuckles. "Shut up! Skip the lecture and let's start!" Luffy says with a mischievous grin. "You're being too loud idiot!"

"Yayaya! Watch your mouth Gomu Gomu boy!" Buggy sneers at Luffy placing his hands inside the orange fur robe that hangs from his shoulder with golden plates. His hand reappears wielding knives between each finger.

"Seeing your straw hat reminds me of a guy I knew long ago," says Buggy narrowing his eyes like he's remembering something that annoys him. "The impudent red hair guy with the straw hat!"

Luffy's eyes widen. "Red hair?!" he says.

You notice how intrigued Luffy looks.

"You know a redhead who has a straw hat like yours?" you ask Luffy.

Luffy nods. "He's someone very important to me," he says seriously. You all fall silent.

You take a moment to look around at the bodies around you. Zoro, Boodle, Cabaji, and Mohji. They are all laying around you on the ground unconscious. Zoro’s body rests on the ground while his head lays on your lap.

Zoro is asleep with his swords at his sides. You try not to move around too much or stare at his peaceful sleeping face.

You blush at the predicament you’re in. This is a little too close to your liking but Zoro is hurt, and he needs your help. You frown, it’s not like you could actually help in a fight.

_All of these guys are monsters!_

There is no way regular people like you, Nami, and Boodle can take on Buggy’s crew. You think over some of the events from before. Zoro has just joined Luffy’s crew and he’s done so much already. 

“I need to get stronger,” you say to yourself.

You begin to wonder where Nami is at that moment. Has she stolen the treasure and fled? Did she abandon you guys, convinced you'd all be killed by Buggy and Cabaji?

"You said a redhead," Luffy says looking at Buggy. "Do you know Shanks?!"

Buggy tilts his head to the side misplacing the big red noise in the center of his face. "Hmm? What's this...?" Looks likes this man interests you," he says.

"Where is he now?" Luffy asks.

"Where..."? Will if I know then I know," says Buggy with a conniving expression. "And if I don't know then I could also not know anything at all!" Buggy rubs his chin and stares at Luffy as if he's mocking him.

"What are you saying," Luffy asks. "Are you an idiot?"

"Whaddya mean, idiot?!" Buggy yells. "You're the uncivilized buffoon here!"

Buggy readies the knives in his hands and glares at Luffy. "I'm saying that I'm not a nice enough guy to tell you the information that you want to know. Even if it's your last wish before you die..."

Luffy lowers into his fighting stance smiling. "Then let me make you say it by force!" he says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This Arc is almost over! So excited I have a special arc coming made to have the readers get to know the current straw hats individually. Can’t wait to we get there 😭 Thanks for reading. Please like and leave a comment for faster updates! :)


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